11 March 2024 , 03:00
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is set to make his future plans clear soon.
Cousins, 35, can start talking with other NFL teams from Monday when the legal tampering period begins. This is two days before free agency officially starts on Wednesday.
Unless he signs an extension with the Vikings, Cousins will become a free agent. Even though he still has four years left on his contract, that deal voids on Tuesday - which is the last day of the current league year. If he doesn't sign an extension, a $28.5million (£22.2m) dead cap hit will be added to the Vikings' books when the new season starts on Wednesday.
And if that happens, several teams could potentially sign Cousins. Mirror Sport has pointed out three likely places for the four-time Pro Bowler.
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Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are reportedly more interested in signing Cousins than trading for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears this offseason. Their interest makes sense, as assistant general manager Kyle Smith started his career as a scout at Washington when the team drafted Cousins in 2012.
The quarterback has a personal connection to the area as he married his wife, who is from Atlanta, there 10 years ago. If Cousins decides to leave Minnesota after six seasons, the Falcons could be the team most likely to try and sign him. He spent another six years at Washington before moving to Minnesota.
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Kirk Cousins' future with the Vikings is uncertain (Getty Images)Denver Broncos
Now that Russell Wilson's time in Denver is over, the Broncos might think about trying to sign Cousins. When he left Washington in 2018, the Broncos were one of the teams he was considering, along with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Vikings.
With Kyler Murray and Aaron Rodgers now firmly established as the play-callers for the first two teams, Cousins might find the Broncos an attractive option again. There are similarities between Cousins and Drew Brees, which could be good news for head coach Sean Payton as he tries to turn things around in his second season.
Las Vegas Raiders
After releasing Jimmy Garoppolo following a failed attempt to sign him last year, new general manager Tom Telesco might decide to try and sign Cousins to fix the mistakes of the previous management. While it would be more usual to find a new quarterback through the draft rather than free agency, Cousins could be the perfect short-term solution for the Vikings.
Wide receiver Davante Adams mentioned the possible availability of the quarterback while discussing his favourite play-callers on the '2 Gs in a Pod' show earlier this year. "A dude that can just find somebody, I mean, I like Kirk Cousins," the wide receiver said in January. "I think Kirk Cousins is a really good quarterback. As far as availability, I think Kirk's a good player."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.