Vikings are Team to Beat for Kirk Cousins Entering NFL Legal Tampering Period

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Kirk Cousins Minnesota Vikings
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings have been doing their best behind the scenes at TCO Performance Center to lock down Kirk Cousins up with a new contract before he officially hits free agency on Wednesday afternoon. In an ideal world, they would have gotten a deal done before Kirk even gets a chance to talk to the Atlanta Falcons at 11 a.m. CDT today.

But that isn’t happening, it appears. According to Dianna Russini (The Athletic) Monday morning, Cousins will chat with the Atlanta Falcons at the opening bell at 11 a.m. Does that mean he’s as good as gone to Atlanta? No.

Schefter: Minnesota Vikings are still team to beat for Kirk Cousins

While the situation is still very fluid, especially as Kirk prepares to chat with other teams. But according to Adam Schefter (ESPN), the Vikings are still the team to beat. In fact, Schefter goes as far as to say that he doesn’t see the Falcons offering what they would need to offer in order to “pry him” out of Minnesota.

“Kirk Cousins is the biggest free agent out there, the biggest quarterback domino that is on the street. I think there has been this speculative narrative that he is going to wind up in Atlanta, and he might eventually end up with the Falcons. I think the two primary suitors for his services are the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons. But the Minnesota Vikings are not going to let him go without fighting for him, and he is in Minnesota. They are the incumbent and still the team that would have to be beat. There have been ongoing discussions to try and keep him there. Again, Atlanta would have to step up in a way to essentially pry him loose from the Vikings, and the best I can tell, I don’t know that that will happen. We shall see here when the negotiating period opens this afternoon.”

Adam Schefter on Get Up Monday morning (ESPN)

Schefter has made it clear a couple times already this morning that, even if Kirk were to test the free agency waters today, it does NOT mean he and the Vikings are done. Reading between the lines, I’d say the Vikings offer, at this point, is getting very close to something that Cousins would be comfortable with.

Related: Kirk Cousins Shows Off Achilles and Fear of Heights During Decision Day Birthday Party

But, I’d imagine it’s difficult to turn down an opportunity to peak behind the curtain for other teams, now that Kirk is only hours away from getting that opportunity. No matter, Kirk coming back to Minnesota is far from dead, even after he has a chance to talk with other teams.

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