VikeManDan Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 11 hours ago, Cearbhall said: Standard offset language in contracts would then mean the Vikings only have to pay out the remainder of the guarantee, ~$10MM. I'm not sure I follow here as the entire contract was guaranteed. I also thought offset language was only a part of rookie contracts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 43 minutes ago, Virginia Viking said: No one but the Saints were ever going to sign Brees. I think everyone knew that, including Spielman, but they wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't at least inquire to see what he was looking for, which is likely what they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cearbhall Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, VikeManDan said: I'm not sure I follow here as the entire contract was guaranteed. I also thought offset language was only a part of rookie contracts. No, offset language is in most NFL contracts. Sometimes a player with enough leverage will have it removed from their contract. I can't comment on the specifics of the Cousins' deal but I saw a comment in the media the other day that leads me to believe that the standard offset language is present in his contract. If I run across that again I'll post it to this thread if nobody else beats me to it. Late Add: When binging Kirk Cousins Offset, the first article I found is talking about Stafford's contract and mentions that Stafford avoided offset language. That isn't specific to Cousins but hopefully it at least demonstrates that offset language is normal if a player doesn't avoid it. We have seen no report of Cousins avoiding the offset language but you should be cautioned that while it is normal to have the offset language it isn't always reported, as it was in the case of Stafford, when a player avoids the offset language. The media wonk's concentrate on getting the numbers published first. Once the numbers are published, often nobody looks back at the contract. Here is another article that discusses Kirk Cousins contract that doesn't mention offset language. It does mention other details such as the no trade clause and the the fact team can't tag Cousins. Also, the same article in discussion Aaron Donald's contract has a nice explanation of offset language when mentioning that Donald avoided it. The fact this writer thought it was important to mention for Donald's contract coupled with the details beyond the numbers discussed with the Cousins contract leads me to believe Cousins' contract is standard with regard to offset language. Edited October 2, 2019 by Cearbhall Late Add 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrplChilPill Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 11 hours ago, SemperFeist said: I still think the smartest thing for the Vikings to do is get aggressive in the draft and target “their guy” who they believe will be the QBOTF. Cousins will go into the offseason/training camp as the starter, but if he’s out played, contract or not, the team can not proceed with him as the starter. Agreed, if there is one they believe in. Some years that isn't clearly the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cearbhall Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 33 minutes ago, Cearbhall said: If I run across that again I'll post it to this thread if nobody else beats me to it. Here is what I read: Quote At worst, the Vikings would bite the bullet, cutting Cousins, paying him the difference between $29.5 million and whatever he gets elsewhere, and moving on. Florio is pretty annoying when he as an opinion based agenda that he wants to push but he is able to get player contracts and does usually bother himself to look at all the details in the player contracts. Being a former lawyer, he is well positioned to interpret the legal jargon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) Unless Cousins becomes such a problem in the locker room that you have no choice but to cut him, I just don’t see getting rid of him (by any means other than a trade) as a smart option. Even if there is offset language, Cousins still isn’t going to get a large enough contract to offset the majority of what Minnesota is paying him. And the money attached to Cousins is likely going to be significant enough to prevent the team from signing another starter, or even worthwhile backup. So, if the team does find a QB in the draft, and immediately make him the starter, Cousins is still a better option as a backup than anything you’d be able to find in free agency. Edited October 2, 2019 by SemperFeist 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 That said, Cousins has let the public narrative get to him. He’s a broken quarterback who’s crumbling under the pressure of the expectations that are perceived to come with his big contract and the pressure caused from the narrative that he can’t win a big game. This is going to get worse. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsrule Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) 17 minutes ago, SemperFeist said: Unless Cousins becomes such a problem in the locker room that you have no choice but to cut him, I just don’t see getting rid of him (by any means other than a trade) as a smart option. Even if there is offset language, Cousins still isn’t going to get a large enough contract to offset the majority of what Minnesota is paying him. And the money attached to Cousins is likely going to be significant enough to prevent the team from signing another starter, or even worthwhile backup. So, if the team does find a QB in the draft, and immediately make him the starter, Cousins is still a better option as a backup than anything you’d be able to find in free agency. With how Cousins appears to be regressing, there likely are better FA options out there in 2020. I am not sure what will have to be done from a cap standpoint to make it work, I do know there is a lot of money tied to Reiff, Griffen, Rudolph and Rhodes. That is where the salary purge will have to start. The roster will look different in 2020 but that is the consequence of a bad contract given to a $30 million QB. Edited October 2, 2019 by vikingsrule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 8 minutes ago, vikingsrule said: With how Cousins appears to be regressing, there likely are better FA options out there in 2020. I am not sure what will have to be done from a cap standpoint to make it work, I do know there is a lot of money tied to Reiff, Griffen, Rudolph and Rhodes. That is where the salary purge will have to start. The roster will look different in 2020 but that is the consequence of a bad contract given to a $30 million QB. A 41-yr old Drew Brees? (I think he's pretty much done now) 43-yr old Tom Brady? (He ain't going nowhere) 39-yr old Eli Manning? (Done about 5 years ago) 38-yr old Phillip Rivers? (He probably ain't going nowhere either) Other than that, you're left with Teddy, Jameis Winston, or Marcus Mariota...none of whom arguably are any better than Cousins. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsrule Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 8 minutes ago, swede700 said: A 41-yr old Drew Brees? (I think he's pretty much done now) 43-yr old Tom Brady? (He ain't going nowhere) 39-yr old Eli Manning? (Done about 5 years ago) 38-yr old Phillip Rivers? (He probably ain't going nowhere either) Other than that, you're left with Teddy, Jameis Winston, or Marcus Mariota...none of whom arguably are any better than Cousins. Don’t forget Case Keenum, who has outperformed Cousins this year! Might even see guys like Nick Foles, Alex Smith and Ryan Tannehill come available. It just seems like a potentially sour situation if Cousins remains the starter in 2021 after missing the playoffs again with an early pick at QB pushing him. We’re already seeing apologies from Cousins four games in, I have a hard time giving Cousins the benefit of the doubt in that he will turn things around, given his track record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 Even if you include any of those others, I still wouldn't take any of them over Cousins. Foles hasn't proven to be able to play for anyone except the Eagles...Alex Smith likely will never play again, and Tannehill is a backup at best. I don't have a lot of faith in Cousins either, but he's the best option they'll have. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsrule Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, swede700 said: Even if you include any of those others, I still wouldn't take any of them over Cousins. Foles hasn't proven to be able to play for anyone except the Eagles...Alex Smith likely will never play again, and Tannehill is a backup at best. I don't have a lot of faith in Cousins either, but he's the best option they'll have. Could see Andy Dalton in play too. He’s got a $18M cap hit and no dead money in 2020. For a rebuilding Bengals team picking in the top 5, might be hard keeping him around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 What would you guys think about RG3? After his knee injury at the end of his rookie season, he hasn't played much...so, he's rested...he is backing up Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, presently. I suspect he might come pretty cheaply. If he's turned himself into someone who is coachable, maybe a good QB coach could recapture some of his rookie talent?? He would still only be a bridge from Cousins to a QBOTF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 The only way that trading for Trent Williams makes sense is if you deem Cousins as your guy at QB. Trading for Williams would be a “now” move, and likely cost you any draft pick that you’d likely want to use on a QB. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klomp Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 21 hours ago, vikingsrule said: He lucked into a franchise QB in round 3. That certainly made it easier for him to put together a championship caliber team, paying Wilson on a cheap rookie contract. Do the Seahawks ever win a title again with Wilson now that they paid him and the roster has been purged? Bill Belicheck lucked into a franchise QB in round 6 too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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