Kirk Cousins names his first and foremost priority for impending free agency despite backing from Vikings teammates

Kirk Cousins' future is currently in limbo ahead of the 2024 NFL season. His contract with the Minnesota Vikings will officially expires as soon as the offseason begins this year. It's unclear at this point if the fanchise plans to offer him an extension, or if he would even be ineterested in returning anyway.

During his NFL career so far with the Vikings and Washington Commanders, Cousins has mastered the benefits of short-term contracts. He has bet on himself numerous times and the high-risk gamble has worked out for him financially.

Given his age and impressive career-earnings, another short-term contract is likely, but he apparently has more important priorities this time around in free agency. He recently explained his situation to the AP.

According to Rob Maadi, via AP News:

"Cousins, who turns 36 before next season, can’t be franchise-tagged. He said winning will be his priority as he determines his future."

Cousins explained:

“That will kind of always be the priority, but what’s interesting is how unpredictable winning can be. There are teams every year that you think should be in the Super Bowl, and they don’t even make the playoffs. And then there’s teams that you think had no business making the playoffs and they’re making it to the second or third round.”

While Kirk Cousins has his sights set on potentially winning a Super Bowl ring, he also admits that it's difficult to predict which teams will be true contenders ahead of each NFL season.

This could impact his decision on what teams he considers signing with during free agency. His health will also likely play a major factor, considering he is 36 years old and coming off of a major Achilles injury.

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Kirk Cousins injury update: Will Vikings QB be fit in time for 2024?

Kirk Cousins

An Achilles injury during the 2023 NFL season limited Kirk Cousins to just eight games in the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

Cousins will likely need to focus on recovering from the injury at the same time that he is negotiating a new contract. His health could have a major impact on where he ends up next year as teams ponder when he will be ready to play again.

Cousins told AP:

“My expectation is that I’ll be able to practice during OTAs as normal. But the question will be, 'Is it worth it?' And so you have to weigh that a little bit, but my goal would be that I’m saying, 'I can go, and you guys are going to have to stop me, because I feel that good.' If I’m not allowed into the full-team drills, I know I can do basically a full-speed practice on the field next to it, is pretty much my goal."

OTAs often begin in April, so that gives Cousins about three more months to recover if he's accurate in prediciting his own recovery timeline. He has been out since October, so that woud give him about six months to overcome the injury.

With kickoff for the 2024 NFL season not coming until September, it appears likely that Kirk Cousins should be ready to go for Week 1 as long as he avoids a major setback.