Vikings' Zimmer backs Cousins: 'Kirk's our guy'

It appears Kirk Cousins is locked in as the Minnesota Vikings' starter for next season.

Head coach Mike Zimmer gave the quarterback a vote of confidence during an appearance Friday on "Good Morning Football."

"Kirk's our guy," Zimmer said, according to Will Selva of NFL Network. "He had a terrific year this year. We have to get better on defense and that's my job to get it fixed."

Cousins is contracted through the 2022 season, but rumors have circulated that the veteran could be part of what's expected to be a dramatic quarterback carousel this offseason.

While cutting the 32-year-old would incur a dead-money hit of $41 million, a trade would save the Vikings $10 million of his $31-million cap hit, per Spotrac. Moreover, if Cousins is on the roster on March 19, his $35-million salary in 2022 becomes fully guaranteed.

The veteran threw for a career-high 35 touchdowns in 2020 but tied for his most interceptions ever with 13 while also fumbling nine times.

Minnesota finished outside the playoffs at 7-9 and could be facing a rebuild due to an aging roster and a lack of cap space.

Zimmer's defense endured a significant regression. The unit ranked 29th in scoring defense to end a streak of five top-10 finishes in that category. Meanwhile, Cousins led the offense to 11th in points and fourth in yards.