How the Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins in free agency | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

The Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen joins Mike Florio to discuss how Kirk Cousins left Minnesota for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency and previews the team’s upcoming draft. #NBCSports #ProFootballTalk #NFL #KirkCousins
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How the Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins in free agency | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC
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They need Kirk Cousins back in 2024 and it’s in Kirk Cousins best interest who whoa wait hey hold on hold on hold on stop the Press do say that again I couldn’t hear you it would be a mistake for him and for the Vikings to not want to squeeze

The last bit out and see see what happened man let’s clip that out clip that out and put that on social media team let’s get that you see that everybody you see that Minnesota hey Kirk Cousins he got down to the last pedal on the flower and he loves you it’s Official and there it is and Kirk Cousins is gone it’s been almost three weeks the guy who has called every Kirk Cousins game for the last six years in Minnesota and has been doing the Vikings games on radio since is it 2002 Paul Allen is it that long are we that old2

Mhm wow wow and and interestingly in my second season 03 the final game of the year of course you know this because you’re a Vikings historian it was Macau to Nathan p and now Josh not only is our quarterback’s coach but he he played with Sam darnold so we have a darnold in

And he worked with Drake May at a Charlotte High School so now I guess you have a drake May in if uh indeed you’re looking for one you know I’m ashamed of myself for not putting the Josh mcau pieces together and I’ve been very well aware that that

Was his rookie year when he threw that pass on the old rule that you could do the force out judgment call Nathan p did not get two feet down but the assessment was that if he hadn’t been shoved he would have gotten two feet down touchdown the season can end this way

But yes it did I still remember that very well and now I remember that Josh Macau yes now with the Vikings and tore out the Vikings heart that year that it looked like they were going to the playoffs all right well I appreciate you very much on short notice joining us

Today Shireen Williams is ill I’ve done an hour and 40 minutes by myself it’s great to talk to you and let’s start with Kirk Cousins what’s been the overall reaction among the fan base among the people you hear from on a regular basis with Kirk Cousins choosing

To leave for Atlanta and the Vikings not choosing to put the money on the table to keep him well it’s been interesting because you know I think um a lot of fans in a habit State here in Minnesota who you know he he got that three-year

Guaranteed piece I mean I guess he had the audacity to to take that according to some then his 2018 he’s throwing it to the wrong team uh a more frequently than preferred and they’re getting to the end zone like Minka Fitzpatrick and PJ Williams stuff like that so it got

Off to a little bit of a shaky start the offensive coordinator in his first year here got fired during the season uh Negan Kevin evansky became the coordinator subsequently head coach of the Browns and here we are but the the interesting part is with the Netflix series quarterback you know it’s just I

Mean Kirk was portrayed in such a positive light and and genuinely speaking uh that that’s the authentic Kirk Cousins uh well a lot of the fan base really really embraced that you know kind of like you and a lot of people watching right now and then you

Know when when it was like is he going to stay and what’s it going to take and you know and and why hasn’t the regime signed him it it got a little tenuous and it got a little hot but but then he got that that 100 million piece and you

Know people were like well I mean I I don’t think many people were were willing to if they if they were to be general managers pay that at Kirk’s age I love Kirk but I mean that was a lot more than I thought it was going to be

Too and with the general manager quis ad Doo meno you know the the the 2022 draft his first draft hasn’t hasn’t really done the team any favors with all due respect at this stage um the third year coming up hopefully some of them turn some things around uh so that got off to

A little bit of a weird start uh but now people are starting to realize the part of the job for quacy is to get the roster younger find free agency money and I guess find lines of deliniation and and draw lines in the stand like he

Did with his cousin’s deal and he didn’t budge and now I know why he didn’t budge so uh now we head to the draft in search of a quarterback with um Sam darnold Nick Mullins and jiren Hall in the mix around here so fan base not mad about the

Outcome no I and I know this is characteristic of folks in Minnesota they’re not inclined to be mad about anything but they understand why cousins left and they understand why the Vikings didn’t say we’ll give you 100 million fully guaranteed well but see the thing for

Kirk is he repeatedly said whether on or off the microphone you know I want to finish my career in Minnesota and and knowing Kirk the way I do he meant that I mean he really really loved it here so did his family and I know you got a

Chance um at the Super Bowl to meet Julie and you know learn about their family and stuff and and I would imagine that you probably felt that genuine Minnesota feel from them so people didn’t even bang him about that when he left and went to Atlanta because it’s

Like well you know it could be well what do you mean you said you wanted to be here forever oh wait it’s that oh all right I get it you know so it was it was really like that my theory over the past week or so has evolved into the Vikings

Really didn’t want to continue the relationship but they didn’t want to create the impression that they were the ones who were pulling the plug on it when Mark wilf said at the league meetings that they only offered a full guarantee for the first year of the contract if you’re not going to

Guarantee into year two you’re not going to keep Kirk Cousins somebody else is going to guarantee into week two this guy’s used to having fully guaranteed contract and if the Falcons are doing 90 over two plus an extra 10 they can’t get out of unless they cut him after one

That’s 100 million he’s going to make if the Vikings are only going one year and the the complaint or concern or whatever I’d heard from Kirk was it’s basically become a year-to-year arrangement for him in Minnesota he wants something more than year to year he wants more control

And more security than year to year and the Vikings wanted the flexibility to move on from him if that’s what they decide to do so I think that maybe they wanted us to think keeping Kirk Cousins is plan a and that plan B is let’s see who we can get in the draft

It could be plan a is let’s get our franchise quarterback in the draft and plan B was okay we’ll keep Kirk Cousins if we can keep them on our terms well I mean it could be but you know let’s let’s let’s hearken to that Kevin o interview he did with um Daniel

Jeremiah and maybe Rich Eisen on NFL Network the final Saturday of the combine and I mean during the football season I do a weekly sitdown with oconnell I tape a um I also tape a pregame interview with him every week and I’ve gotten I adore the guy and and

I think he’s authentic he’s genuine he really really cares his ability to work with players through turmoil and and and through consternation um you know given his age and his relatability to uh to players in their 20s I think Kevin’s fantastic so with all that said I’m not exactly sure

Kevin you know was completely comfortable with Kirk leaving um because that that NFL Network interview man you could just kind of tell and you write about this all the time at PFT you know way about what happens at the combine I guess stays at the combine and the

Tampering and stuff like that but that Saturday man watching oconnell when he you know you could just tell that he kind of caught wind holy cow something has happened here and there’s like zero chance that we’re going to combat it and and Kevin wears his emotions on his

Sleeve man and on his face and I could tell he was sad I mean cousins was lights out here man um before he popped that Achilles at Lambo you know that but he got better every single year and and um you know with what Flores did with

The defense last year the majority of the season and then now who they have this year some new players they added you know I think Kevin looks at it like man we’re kind of sitting on something here but you know the quarterback spot’s going to matter now this draft you you

Know it’s it’s when we were at the combine in 2020 before the pandemic the I mean all the right people were saying how deep the wide receiver draft was I’m an old schooler man I’m like pump the brakes let me go ahead and watch him for

A couple of years and see what happens well they were right uh last year I heard a lot about how deep the tight ends were in the draft and they were right again it was a super deep tight ends draft this is a very very very very deep quarterbacks draft I’m telling you

Right now they’re going to be quarterbacks taken on Saturday who get second contracts as starters so with 11 and 23 I think the metaphorical writing is on the wall to uh to move up and get a quarterback the question would be Who and the way quisa Doo menen and the Vikings Personnel

Staff have played this offseason it’s been phenomenal I mean Aaron Jones is a viking it took like two minutes to get him here are you kidding me that’s that’s that’s incredible um and then with the rest of the players quacy has emptied uh the these the proverbial

Chamber uh with all the bullets however the Silver Bullet is a month and it has to hit if the Silver Bullet misses the Beast which would be the quarterback then there could be a problem but quacy and staff have done terrific work this off season I think there’s a quiet

Confidence in the organization and it may put too much pressure on Kevin oconnell and make his life harder than it would have been especially if he would have continued the relationship with Kirk Cousins the idea that whoever they give him whatever lump of clay is

Put in front of him he is going to mold into a great quarterback and I’ve been making the argument that if I’m one of these guys coming into the draft this year and I’m looking at the teams in the top half of round one I’m circling the

Vikings because I’m confident if I work with Kevin oconnell he’s going to get me to my absolute maximum performance level and right we can join at the hip for 15 years you look at these guys who are going to end up with a defensive head coach and an offensive coordinator who

If things go well is going to leave and then here comes another offensive coordinator and if it goes well he’s going to leave and become a head coach eventually I’m going to get an offensive coordinator who isn’t good enough to get the most out of me it’s going to cause

Me to regress I want the Shawn pton Drew Brees relationship I want 15 years with one coach that would be very attractive to me so I think whoever lands with the Vikings is going to be in the best position to get to his absolute maximum whatever his absolute maximum may be do

You agree yeah yeah I do and and I and not simply because I’m voice of Vikings guy but I’ve seen it for two years now and and you know they threw 61% of the time Kevin’s first year here cousins was terrific they win 13 games we we go

Through that four quarterback carsl last year which which you know at times was miserable and like you know when when the dobs trick was up uh Hall came in that didn’t work when Mullins played granted there were some turnover problems but it looked like a Kevin oconnell offense because Nick knows how

To run an offense Sam Arnold knows how to run a passing offense um cousins obviously does too so I agree with you on that you know and and the the the piece the pieces are falling into place I mean if you read pro football talk.com this morning and I I didn’t know this

Until before we did this you got Brian Kelly basically I mean just coming right out and saying J Jaden Daniels is going to the commanders I believe Kelly so now we’re going Williams Daniels uh craft can put on his fan hat and want a quarterback all he wants and be like

They’re going to be desperate team teams he’s right there are desperate teams and maybe somebody comes way way way up with a ton and overpays uh I don’t see that happening I think they take a quarterback so now Arizona’s the wild card here with uh with Denver Vegas and

The Vikings and maybe um you know wild cardish team in the top 10 that that really nobody’s talking about right now and they have six picks in the top 90 including four in 27 so uh that’s the target for me as of right now for McCarthy or May personally speaking I

Would prefer May by that much I don’t watch enough college football to pretend like I’m an expert uh but in in putting the the pieces together that’s kind of what I think it’s leading to so what do you think the Patriots are going to go bow Knicks at three and then it’s going

To be May or or McCarthy available at four that’s what you’re thinking where the hell did you get where the hell did you get B Knicks at three well who’s going to three then if the Patriots take a quarterback MTH who’s who’s after mcarthy oh you say you

Said McCarthy or May I see what you’re saying I got you I got you B knck is up there too if you listen to Sims B knck is up there three okay he’s got he’s down on May he’s got May at sixth out of six so I don’t know about May well okay

I understand that and I’m not one to argue I was gonna ask you one last question let me put a pin in this I gotta go I gotta go yeah so do I but we have ma don’t forget that when we talk the next time I want

You to tell me which round draft pick the Vikings are going to get from the tampering that the Falcons blatantly engaged in with Kirk Cousins and I say I can’t wait to see you and young Alexander at the Vikings Falcons game at US Bank Stadium it’s the Vikings against

Kirko James it’s going to be great thank you hi it’s Mike Florio thanks for watching PFT on YouTube hit subscribe for the latest news and Analysis from pro football talk