“Heading Towards a Cliff”: Kirk Cousins Admits How Minnesota Vikings’ Contract Stance ‘Eased’ Atlanta Falcons Decision

It seems Kirk Cousins is happy at his new place! The quarterback has headed towards the Atlanta Falcons from the Minnesota Vikings. As per the reports, he signed a four-year, $180 million contract, including $100 million guaranteed from the franchise. Everything was okay between the Vikings and Cousins, except for the contractual situation.

But it seems Atlanta didn’t have much issue with it. Recently, Cousins revealed what inspired him to leave his former home, and that’s not just his contract. There are times when the players are confused to choose between the teams. However, they generally join the team that offers them a desired contract. Such was also the case of former Vikings QB, Kirk Cousins.

However, his wife’s connection with Atlanta also helped him ease his decision. In a recent podcast episode of “The Steam Room,” Cousins joined the hosts, Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley, to talk about the same. He admitted that his decision to join the Falcons was partly influenced by the Vikings’ contract situation.

He revealed, “Yes, we knew for a while. Since going back to last year at this time, when we did not get an extension in Minnesota that we were heading towards a cliff in free agency in 2024, and as it got closer, we knew it was possible. We’d stay in Minnesota. We knew it’s possible to move on and you just started gathering information. And the closer we got to that cliff Atlanta started looking better and better and better. And we’re just thrilled to be here.”

Another reason for easy decision-making was his wife’s home in Atlanta. The quarterback expressed, “My wife is from Atlanta and we chose over many off seasons, and I was playing both in Washington and in Minnesota to come down to Atlanta for the offseason and live with her parents. We got grandparent’s help by being with them. And as a result we got pretty familiar. I got pretty familiar with the city of Atlanta and so it’s fun to take it from being my home away from home to being in my official home now. And I can’t wait to get started, get to work early.”

It was reported that the Vikings weren’t ready to pay him what he wanted, so, the Falcons signed him on their roster. But it’s important to note that both the teams have a similar kind of contract to offer Cousins.

What’s the contractual drama?

The contract between the Falcons and Kirk Cousins is similar to his previous deals with the Minnesota Vikings in some ways. Just like in his Vikings contract, Cousins has a no-trade clause in his deal with the Falcons. In the previous extension with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins had a $35 million base salary for 2022 that would become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster in 2021. Similarly, Cousins’ contract with the Falcons includes a $10 million roster bonus in 2026, which becomes fully guaranteed a year earlier.

Additionally, both Cousins’ Vikings contracts and his deal with Atlanta offer up to $2 million in annual incentives based on factors like his playing time, the team’s offensive success, and playoff progress. Despite the Vikings expressing interest in keeping Cousins, they were focused on the future of the quarterback position and were considering drafting a new quarterback to develop under coach Kevin O’Connell’s leadership. During negotiations in 2023, the Vikings were only willing to guarantee Cousins’ salary through 2024, while Cousins wanted it guaranteed through 2025.

And as Cousins said that he wanted to stay in for a long time, the Falcons’ contract offer of up to $180 million for four years, has definitely given him a clear choice, and “a big upgrade” to the team.

Read more: “It’s Extremely Alarming”: Cam Newton Reacts to Kirk Cousins’ $180M Deal With Atlanta Falcons