The Vikings have gotten their man.
Today the team tweeted out they have inked former Redskins free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, a player they hope will be the final piece for a Super Bowl run for Minnesota.
Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million deal that is fully guaranteed, sources say. It not only makes him the highest paid player in football history, but he’s also the first quarterback to sign a multi-year, fully guaranteed deal. With all the leverage in the world, Cousins and agent Mike McCartney of Priority Sports became pioneers. Only time will tell if they will become trend-setters.
Once it became clear Cousins would sign with Minnesota, sources informed of the specifics took us inside this history contract:
Cousins receives a $3 million signing bonus. His base salaries are $22.5 million for 2018, $27.5 million for 2019 and $29.5 million for 2020. In each year, he gets a $500,000 workout bonus. That’s $84 million. So it’s $26 million in Year 1, $28 million in Year 2, $30 million in Year 3, a top 5 cash flow. There is no hefty signing bonus, but the fully guaranteed $84 million is far more than the previous high of $60 million.
In addition, Cousins has $2 million worth of upside potential in each year tied to Super Bowl-related incentives involving several factors. If his team wins the Super Bowl every year and the rest of the parameters are reached, the deal can be three years, $90 million.
In a word – wow. Last season with the Redskins Cousins threw for 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
So fresh and so clean. #Skol pic.twitter.com/ExuPlosuJr
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 15, 2018