Vikings Want Kirk Cousins’ Future Decided this Month; Danielle Hunter Talks on Hold

The NFL offseason will officially start on Monday, after a Super Bowl champion is crowned on Sunday evening. That will give the Minnesota Vikings exactly one month and one day until the 2024-25 league year starts on March 13.

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That’s an important date because it also stands as the moment Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter are both scheduled to become free agents and a total of $43.4 million in dead cap charges ($28.5M for Cousins + $14.9M for Hunter) are scheduled to hit the Vikings’ books for next season.

There’s a long list of unchecked items on general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s offseason to-do list before then, but there’s a pecking order. And at the top of that pecking order is Kirk Cousins. Even Justin Jefferson admitted, while doing interview rounds during Super Bowl week, that what happens with Kirk could affect his contract talks.

Vikings want clarity on Kirk Cousins soon; Danielle Hunter talks on hold

On Sunday, Dan Graziano (ESPN) said that Danielle Hunter’s fate won’t be decided until after Cousins’ future is realized either. The Vikings, according to Graziano, are determined to figure Kirk’s situation out “in the next few weeks” which runs us right up to the start of March.

“Kirk Cousins’ impending free agency is a story at this year’s Super Bowl, much like it was six years ago when the big game was in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikings are working to see if they can keep their 35-year-old quarterback — who is coming off an Achilles tear — and they’d like to have an answer in the next few weeks so they can plan accordingly.”

“Minnesota’s other business — most prominently a potential new deal for defensive end Danielle Hunter before he hits the market — is on hold until it figures out what’s going on with Cousins.”

Dan Graziano – ESPN+

Cousins has maintained for awhile now that he doesn’t expect contract talks with Minnesota to even start until March. Clearly, those at TCO Performance Center hope to be done talking by then, so they can focus on where to turn next.

We’ll see when the two sides actually meet up at the negotiating table but their difference in timelines is, at the least, interesting. No matter, I can’t imagine a future where both Hunter and Cousins’ contract negotiations aren’t complete by March 13, when both are scheduled to become free agents. After reading today’s note by Graziano, I’m hopeful we’ll know by the end of February.