Kirk Cousins’ Market Likely Between Jets & Vikings, Broncos Could Target Case Keenum

Update:

Mike Klis reports that the Broncos are still interested in Kirk Cousins and “very much in play” to sign him, despite the earlier report.

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Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is hearing that the market for free agent Kirk Cousins is likely to come down to the Jets and Vikings in the end.

According to La Canfora, there has been more and more talk about the Broncos focusing their search on free agent QB Case Keenum.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.com recently reported that the Jets are worried Cousins might already be destined to sign with the Vikings no matter much money they offer. Even so, the Jets plan to be “heavy bidders” for Cousins in the coming weeks and are in the best position to make him a massive contract offer.

Vacchiano says that the Jets are willing to “throw a truckload of money and a heavily front-loaded contract” but are also aware of the buzz he could be headed to Minnesota.

While the Jets feel like they can offer the best contract structure, they still think he could sign with the Vikings, given that they’re in a better position to win now.

Cousins, 29, is a former fourth-round pick of the Redskins back in 2012. He played out the final year of his four-year, $2,572,688 rookie contract that included a $472,688 signing bonus when Washington elected to use the franchise tag on Cousins that paid him $19.953 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season.

The Redskins franchised him for the second year in a row this last year and he made $23.94 million fully guaranteed for the 2017 season.

In 2017, Cousins has appeared in all 16 games and thrown for 4,093 yards while completing 64.3percent of his passes to go along with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 20 quarterback out of 40 qualifying players.

Keenum, 29, wound up signing on with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Houston back in 2013. He spent two years with the Texans before he was claimed off of waivers by the Rams.

Keenum later returned to the Texans before being traded back to the Rams for a 2016 seventh-round pick. The Rams elected to use a first-round tender on Keenum last year that paid him $3.635 million for the 2016 season.

The Vikings signed Keenum to a one-year, $2 million contract last year. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again this offseason.

In 2017, Keenum has appeared in 15 games for the Vikings thrown for 3,547 yards while completing 67.6 percent of his passes to go along with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 9 quarterback out of 40 qualifying players.

We have both players featured in our Top 100 – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.