Kirk Cousins Says He's Not Focused on New Vikings Contract After Loss to 49ers

As Kirk Cousins approaches the final season of his three-year, $84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings, none of the concerned parties appear to be in a rush to hammer out an extension.

Following Minnesota's 27-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday, neither Cousins nor head coach Mike Zimmer was prepared to speak about a long-term agreement:

It feels safe to assume Cousins will be Minnesota's starting quarterback in 2020. His contract was fully guaranteed, so his entire $31 million cap hit would count as dead money were the Vikings to release him at any point in the offseason.

The team could attempt to negotiate a short-term extension that would lessen Cousins' cap hit next year and add the outstanding balance to future seasons. Minnesota is projected to be $3.5 million over the cap, so general manager Rick Spielman needs to free up whatever money he can.

Of course, Saturday's loss was bait for the skeptics who have long questioned Cousins' true value. He finished 21-of-29 for 172 yards and one touchdown. Nearly half his passing yards came in garbage time.

Cousins threw for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 69.1 percent of his passes in 2019.

Following the Vikings' dramatic overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card Round, the 49ers showed nothing has changed, though. If you take away the running game and put the onus on Cousins, he's unlikely to succeed in the postseason.

In 2017, the Vikings were a game away from the Super Bowl. Now they might be at a crossroads, thanks in no small part to the massive contract they offered Cousins in the hope he was the final piece of the puzzle.