Kirk Cousins is throwing again

Just in time for the start of free agency

Two weeks from today, the Minnesota Vikings are going to need to have an answer to their “Will they or won’t they” question concerning quarterback Kirk Cousins. That’s the start of the “legal tampering” period in the NFL, when prospective free agents can begin negotiating with other teams.*

Well, ahead of that, Cousins has put out a video to show teams the progress he’s making from the Achilles injury he suffered back in Week 8 of this past season.

The videos, short though they are, show Cousins on a tennis court throwing a football around. It appears that he’s moving around fairly well, which is an encouraging sign.

To be clear about this, this video isn’t for the Vikings. The Vikings are the only team, at this point, that has access to all of Cousins’ medical info and know what sort of progress he’s making in his rehab. No, this video is for the other teams around the league that might be interested in bringing Cousins on board to show them exactly where he is and let them know that he could very easily be ready for the start of the 2024 season.

If the Vikings elect not to bring Cousins back, the team will incur a $28.5 million dead cap hit. That would pretty much ensure that the team wouldn’t be bringing him back because they would have to pay his salary on top of that hit if that were to happen. The team can ease that hit by working something out with him prior to that date, should that be the path they choose to take.

Obviously, nothing between Cousins and the Vikings is imminent, but with each day that passes before 11 March the likelihood that Cousins will be back in purple next season (and beyond) seems to decrease significantly.