Former Vikings Star Shares Brutal Take On Kirk Cousins

The Minnesota Vikings allowed quarterback Kirk Cousins to walk in free agency earlier this offseason, as he signed a massive four-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in March.

Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is happy that Minnesota opted to not pay Cousins.

“I’m glad the Vikings didn’t spend $45 million [per year to keep Kirk Cousins],” Allen said during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show. “It’s nothing against Kirk Cousins, but when you’re trying to rebuild an organization, I don’t think a mid-30s quarterback coming off an Achilles tear is where you want to spend your money.”

Kirk Cousins Didn’t Make Sense For The Vikings Any Longer

The Vikings initially signed Cousins back in 2018. He spent six seasons in Minnesota but never took the team any further than the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Now, Cousins will be 36 years old at the start of next season, and as Allen said, he is recovering from a torn Achilles, one of the worst injuries an athlete can endure—if not the worst.

As spectacular as Cousins was last season before the injury, throwing for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games, it had become fairly clear that the Vikings were no longer Super Bowl contenders and had to do some sort of reset.

Minnesota has not blown it up entirely, as wide receiver Justin Jefferson is still on the roster and seems to be working toward a long-term deal with the franchise.

However, Minnesota selected University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft last month and seem intent on getting younger.

Given that the Vikings play in an NFC North division that houses the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, not to mention the Chicago Bears, it’s probably the wisest decision.

Sometimes, things just run their course, and Cousins seemed to run his course in Minnesota.

Cousins is beginning a new chapter of his career with the Falcons, and things have gotten off to a rather strange start there after Atlanta took Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick of the draft.

We’ll see how all of that turns out for Cousins, but from the Vikings’ side of things, they can now officially begin a new era and look toward the future.

Kirk Cousins made three Pro Bowl appearances during his time in Minnesota