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StarTribune.com Breaking Sports: Kirk Cousins will leave the Vikings, agreeing to terms with the Falcons
Vikings begin moving forward without Cousins at QB
By Craig Peters
Minnesota's fresh start for 2024 will include a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2018.
The Vikings released a statement from General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Monday — less than three hours after the NFL's "legal tampering" window opened — to say the team was unable to reach agreement "on a contract that fits the short and long-term visions for both Kirk and the Minnesota Vikings."
"Kirk holds a special place in Vikings history, and we appreciate his leadership and contributions to the team and the Minneapolis-St. Paul community over the past six seasons. We wish him, his wife, Julie, and their children all the best," Adofo-Mensah continued in the statement. "Our approach heading into free agency always included layers of contingencies regarding the quarterback position. We are moving forward with plans that allow us to continue building a roster that can compete for a championship."
Representatives of players with expiring contracts are allowed to negotiate terms with other teams during the two-day legal tampering period before free agency opens with the start of the new league year. Contracts with new teams can't be signed until 3 p.m. (CT) on March 13.
Cousins is hitting free agency for just the second time during his career and first since 2018 when he inked a three-year contract fully guaranteed by the Vikings. The signing with Minnesota occurred after spending his first six seasons in Washington, including each of the final two on the franchise tag.
Minnesota worked through multiple extensions with Cousins in the seasons that followed, but the parties opted not to have an extension heading into the 2023 season, making it his final year under contract.
Cousins was selected as a captain in each of his six Vikings seasons and started 88 regular-season contests, compiling a record of 50-37-1 with Minnesota, including a 17-8 mark in the past two seasons with Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.
In O'Connell's offensive system, Cousins completed 640 of 954 passes (67.1 percent) for 6,878 yards with 47 touchdowns against 19 interceptions. His passer rating of 96.2 in that span ranks 11th among qualifying passers.
