Case Keenum Rumors: QB 'Can Likely Be Had' for $16-$18M Per Year Contract

Free-agent quarterback Case Keenum can "likely be had for $16 million to $18 million per year," according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Charley Walters of Twincities.com, meanwhile, projected Keenum would be paid "$45 million for three years, with $20 million guaranteed."

Per Volin's report, the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers are all interested in adding a veteran QB.

Some of those teams, such as the Panthers, Dolphins and Jaguars, will likely be seeking a veteran backup. But in the case of many others, Keenum may be the consolation prize to Kirk Cousins, the top free agent on the market.

Per Volin, Cousins has "narrowed his market to four teams—the Vikings, Broncos, Jets and Cardinals." The market for Keenum will likely come down to the teams in that group that don't land Cousins, in other words.

Keenum had a career year for the Vikings in 2017, throwing for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 67.6 percent of his passes. The journeyman went 11-3 in his regular-season starts and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game.

His signing won't come without question marks, however. How much money will a team be willing to commit to a player who has essentially had one good season? How many years will a club commit to a 30-year-old who just hit his peak? Is Keenum's breakout year transferable to a new team, or was it a product of the scheme in Minnesota?

Despite those questions, quarterbacks are always a hot commodity, and Keenum is coming off an excellent season. For those reasons alone, he's likely about to get a major raise.