With the Minnesota Vikings spiraling to a 1-5 start and already selling assets, questions percolating about Kirk Cousins' future was the next obvious step.
The quarterback himself noted after his latest three-INT game that he "won't finish the season" if he keeps playing poorly. General manager Rick Spielman, however, remains firmly in Cousins' corner.
"You just kind of have to go back and look at the big picture," Spielman said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "But I don't think anyone has lost any faith in Kirk Cousins. I expect him to come back after the bye week and play well for us."
Cousins has struggled with turnovers through the young season, tossing 10 INTs through six games after throwing just six all of 2019.
"I know he's very hard on himself," Spielman said. "Some of the interceptions were not his fault. Some of them were poor decisions. But I don't have any doubt that he's going to be able to rally."
Financially, the Vikings are tied to Cousins, who signed an extension this offseason that guarantees his $21 million base salary in 2021, and his 2022 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the new league year in 2021. Per Over The Cap, the Vikings would be on the hook for $41 million in dead money if they cut Cousins next year.
Spielman has little choice but to believe Cousins will come out of his funk. If not, it could be someone else's issue to deal with down the road.
