Kirk Cousins will follow the money away from Minnesota

Could Kirk Cousins turn down the Vikings for a more lucrative offer elsewhere? His previous history may tell you a lot about what he plans to do in the next several weeks.

 Kirk Cousins hasn’t been in the NFL for very long but at every possible turn, he has made his contractual decisions based on maximum money. If that trend continues during his negotiating process, the Vikings might be on the outside looking in.

According to a recent article detailing Cousins’ recent timeline in Washington, the Redskins’ front office made a number of respectable offers to Cousins and company, and all were spurned by the fifth year signal caller and his agent.

Late in the 2015 season they were offered a multiyear deal and Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney told him to turn it down and wait until the end of his contract. After franchise tagging him in 2016, Washington again tried to negotiate a long-term deal but were unable to get an agreement from Cousins’ camp. In 2017, Kirk Cousins and Mike McCartney were uninterested in negotiating long-term with Washington and left $54 million guaranteed on the table to get to free agency this offseason.

If it is indeed about the team’s success as much as it is the money for Kirk Cousins, why would he seek a bidding war? Why not sign with your employer of five years with a team friendly cap hit so they can fill out the roster around you? Does this sound like an agent who will want to turn down record-setting money so that his client can win more games?

It looks like Kirk Cousins is going to follow the money this offseason. If the Jets are truly willing to fully guarantee an entire contract, Mike McCartney and Cousins will not be able to help themselves.