Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has the perfect mentality in a pivotal year in his career.
It's no secret that Kirk Cousins' future with the Minnesota Vikings will be determined by his play in the 2023 season. Minnesota did not elect to extend Cousins following the 2022 season, which means the 11-year quarterback will be playing in the final year of his three-year deal he signed in 2020.
Cousins, much like the Vikings, had plenty of ups and downs last season. Cousins did lead the NFL with eight game-winning drives and eight fourth-quarter comebacks, but turnovers were a glaring issue at times.
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At 34 years old, Cousins knows what he wants. If he has it his way, Cousins will be playing in Minnesota for the rest of his career.
"I want to be in Minnesota. That's kind of a no-brainer," Cousins told reporters on Wednesday. "So, hopefully, we can earn the right to do that."
With that being said, Cousins has been in this situation before. This marks the fourth time in his career he will be playing in a prove-it year on an expiring contract. Knowing this, it should be no surprise that Captain Kirk has the perfect mentality to earn another contract with the Vikings.
"This is my fourth time in this league going into a season with free agency on the horizon," Cousins noted. "My fourth year after my rookie contract, the two years in Washington after that, and now this. So I would just say that to say, it's more the norm than the exception."
Cousins knows the highs and lows playing quarterback in the NFL comes with. Hell, he's lived it for his entire career. Even though he's accomplished plenty in his career with four Pro Bowl nods and four trips to the playoffs, Cousins once again has to prove that he's a player the Vikings can win big with in the future.
"I think in this league, there should never be entitlement," he added. "You've always got to go play, and teams can do whatever they want to do. That's their prerogative. You just go to work, you do the best you can, and I'm encouraged and excited because I do think I have a good football ahead of me. So, gotta go out there and earn that. But I feel positive about the future looking forward."
Watch Kirk Cousins' media availability in its entirety here.