Cousins' fully-guaranteed three-year, $84M deal is the first of its magnitude in the NFLVIKINGS
The Vikings formally introduced QB Kirk Cousins Thursday after signing him to a three-year, $84M fully-guaranteed deal, and one goal of Cousins' agent, Priority Sports & Entertainment's Mike McCartney, is for there to be "many more guaranteed contracts in the NFL," according to Chris Tomasson of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. McCartney said, “We see [it] in basketball, we see it in baseball but we haven’t seen it in football, so it would be great if this would be a game changer and started a trend. Hopefully, there are some high-profile guys that can build on this and go beyond Kirk’s money but still have a fully guaranteed contract" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/16). In Minneapolis, Mark Craig notes former NFLer Matt Birk called Cousins' contract “historic,” but "tapped the brakes on it being a trendsetter." Birk is "not in favor of guaranteed contracts for NFL players." He said, “If that happened, the total value of contracts would go down mainly because of injuries. And I don’t think our game would be as great as it is because it’s just human nature. If you know you’re getting paid no matter what, I think some guys won’t put forth the effort" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/16).
HEADS OF THE CLASS: SI.com's Albert Breer asked, "Could this lead to bigger change?" That will be up to Falcons QB Matt Ryan, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, Patriots QB Tom Brady and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger -- four players "clearly in line for new deals this offseason who will determine whether Cousins is an outlier or a trend-setter." If they do "traditional deals, it’s hard to see major change coming about." If they "follow the Cousins blueprint, and hold the line, the ground may just move on the way NFL players are paid" (SI.com, 3/15).
