Kirk Cousins says he wants to retire with Vikings, but has to 'earn the right to do that'
Quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a one-year extension with the Minnesota Vikings last month, which will keep him in Minneapolis through the 2023 season. But Cousins wants to stay with the Vikings much longer than that.
Cousins spoke to the media on Monday for the first time since signing his extension on March 14, and while discussing his reasons for agreeing to the extension, revealed the ultimate goal of his football career: to retire in purple and gold.
"The short answer [for why I signed the contract extension] is, I wanted to be a Minnesota Viking," Cousins said via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I wanted to help create some cap space so that we could put together a roster that you do feel really good about. It's just always trying to find win-wins. I think it was a way to create a win-win, and then hopefully that leads to a lot of wins this fall.
"My mind-set was really to be a Viking. I would like to retire as a Viking, and so I would like to play my way into that, if you will. I know I've got to earn the right to do that."
Cousins is definitely correct that he needs to earn his way into retiring as a Viking. There were a handful of reports earlier in the offseason that the Vikings were thinking about moving on from him, which is what happens when a team isn't totally confident in its quarterback. Those rumors eventually dissolved, which is what happens when a team realizes it can't upgrade at quarterback so they have to make do with who they have.
The Vikings are sticking with Cousins for now, signing him to an extension that will have him hit free agency in 2023. What happens after that is anyone's guess, but if it's up to Cousins, who will turn 34 in August, he wants to stay with Minnesota until he decides it's time to go.
"If I could draw it up, it'd be, 'Play well enough that you never have to play or wear another jersey anywhere else,'" Cousins said via the Star Tribune. "I'm going to work really hard to try to make that possible."
