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Kirk Cousins is predictably the top priority on Minnesota’s offseason shopping list.

The free agent quarterback is on the verge of a big payday at age 29 Melker Karlsson Jersey , his first time on the open market.

Cousins will meet Wednesday with the Vikings once the new league year begins, his agent Mike McCartney said Tuesday. ESPN reported, citing unnamed sources, Cousins will sign a fully guaranteed, three-year $84 million contract with the Vikings, but McCartney said no deal was in place and no decision has been made yet.

”We’ve only agreed to visit Minnesota first,” McCartney said.

The Vikings are banking on this being his last trip, too.

With contracts expiring for Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford, plenty of space under the salary cap and coming off an appearance in the NFC championship game, the Vikings have long presented the most desirable destination for Cousins.

Their defense, until faltering over the last five quarters of the team’s run in the playoffs, is stacked with stars and directed by one of the league’s long-time experts in coach Mike Zimmer. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have formed a dangerous young duo of wide receivers, combining for 2,125 yards during the regular season. Dalvin Cook Brandon Manning Jersey , whose rookie year was cut short by a torn ACL, is expected back at full strength for offseason workouts.

Minnesota has a sparkling stadium, the site of Super Bowl 52, and the organization just moved into new state-of-the-art suburban headquarters with top-of-the-line practice fields and training facilities just last week.

”I haven’t had the chance to pick where I’m going to play since 2007 when I chose to go to Michigan State, so I’m looking forward to that opportunity,” Cousins said in Minnesota the week of the Super Bowl during an appearance on SiriusXM satellite radio. ”I think it’s a pretty short checklist. At the end of the day, I want to win.”

Drafted in the fourth round by Washington in 2012, the same year the Redskins took Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick, Cousins has topped 4,000 passing yards in each of the last three seasons. As a full-time NFL starter, he has completed 67 percent of his throws for 81 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 97.5 passer rating.

Unable to agree on a long-term deal with the club, Cousins signed franchise tag tenders each of the last two years to make market-rate money (about $20 million in 2016 and $24 million in 2017) and push out his first experience with free agency. Once Washington agreed to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs, Cousins became one of the most valuable quarterbacks ever available on the open market – a starting QB in his prime.

Though Cousins has never won a postseason game as a pro, the combination of his age Anders Lee Jersey , durability and productivity is unparalleled in comparison to the caliber of usual free agents at the sport’s most critical position. Last year, the Vikings waited until April 3 to sign Keenum for $2 million.

If the Cousins contract is indeed finalized, he’ll be the eighth quarterback to start a season opener for the Vikings in the last nine years. Bridgewater’s devastating knee injury right before the 2016 season wrecked his quest to become the long-term leader of the offense and face of the franchise. The Vikings have otherwise been finding stopgap solutions since moving on from 2011 first-round draft pick Christian Ponder.

Bradford, the emergency replacement for Bridgewater, produced a career-best performance to start 2017 before redeveloping his own knee trouble. In stepped Keenum, whose breakout year led the Vikings to a 13-3 record and Zimmer’s first win in the playoffs.

Bradford and Bridgewater presented obvious health risks, and Zimmer always came across as skeptical of Keenum’s ability to keep up his success. With a new offensive coordinator in John DeFillipo, the quarterbacks coach for Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, the Vikings can reset their scheme to the preferences and strengths of Cousins.

If negotiations hit a snag, there would be no clear backup plan in place for the Vikings. Keenum is bound for the Denver Broncos. Bradford is close to a deal with the Arizona Cardinals and Bridgewater was being targeted by the New York Jets.



The Latest on the NFL’s new policy requiring players to stand if they are on the field during the national anthem but permitting them to stay in the locker room if they prefer (all times EDT):



6 p.m.

Arizona Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea says the NFL’s new national anthem policy is ”not really a compromise,” as touted by the league.

The 12-year NFL veteran noted that ”if you want to use your right of freedom of speech and take a knee, you’re going to get fined. So it’s really not a compromise.”

(In reality, the team, not the player, would be fined.)

Bethea noted that the NFL did give players the option of staying in the locker room while the anthem is played.

”Either it’s going to be a team thing and everybody stays in the locker room or everybody goes out and stands Tyler Johnson Jersey ,” Bethea said. ”But I think the fine thing is kind of overboard. I really do think fining players for really expressing what they believe, I think that’s kind of overboard.

”It’s a club policy so if the club supports the guys to do as they wish, then that’s fine, too. If the club decides everybody stays in the locker room, that’s a decision every team has to make.”

The players’ union also dismissed the idea that the policy was a compromise.

”The NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new `policy,”’ the NFLPA said in a statement.



5:40 p.m.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott says he’s happy an agreement was reached on the anthem issue.

Prescott says that ”I’ll be out there standing.” He added: ”I’m sure we all know what (owner) Jerry (Jones) said. His statement was last year, and I don’t see that changing.”

While there was never a formal public declaration of such by Jones last year, the Cowboys owner had threatened to bench any players who did kneel.

During a Cowboys game at San Francisco in late October, about a half-dozen 49ers kneeled while all the Dallas players stood, though defensive tackle David Irving raised his fist after the anthem ended.



5:30 p.m.

The Minnesota Vikings haven’t had any players kneel during the national anthem before games, and that’s fine by coach Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer has frequently avoided commentary on such non-football subjects, but on Wednesday after practice, he made his feelings known about the controversy. He said he was proud of the team last season for standing during the anthem.

Zimmer said: ”I think it’s important we represent our country the right way. A lot of people have died for that flag. That flag represents our country and what we stand for.”



5:10 p.m.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor learned of the new anthem policy shortly after practice. He was a bit surprised players were not consulted.

Taylor said that ”to make a decision that strong, you would hope the players have input on it but obviously not.”

Taylor added that ”it’s what we have to deal with as players, good or bad. But at the end of the day Dan Hamhuis Jersey Kids , they call the shots and make their rules and that’s what we have to abide by.”

Taylor hopes that the focus will now be on ”what players and owners can do in the community.”



4:45 p.m.

The New York Jets say they will pay any fines and not penalize players if they violate a new NFL policy to stand or stay in the locker room during ”The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Jets owner Christopher Johnson said Wednesday the team is focused on working with players to advance social justice issues rather than creating club rules or penalties that restrict demonstrations.

The ruling approved by NFL owners fines teams for their players kneeling on the field during the national anthem in a move meant to stem widespread debate over protests started by former quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The policy leaves it up to individual teams to decide whether to pass that cost on by punishing players directly.

Johnson says he plans to meet with Jets players and coaches to discuss the decision. He says he’ll support the players ”wherever we land as a team.”



4:25 p.m.

Chicago Bears linebacker Sam Acho credits Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid and Michael Thomas for using their platform to raise awareness of social injustice.

But he sidestepped the questions when asked if he was OK with how the league implemented the changes to its national anthem policy and whether the union should have had more input.

Acho, a union representative, said that ”of course, somebody who is standing on the side of the union is going to say yes and people who didn’t give the union a say – the owners – are going to say no. And so, what I do think is, I think we’re in a really good place, as a team, honestly as a country. Because we’re at this point, almost like a point of contrition, right? What do you do now?”

Acho also said the players and league need to continue working together to address the issue. He said that ”it’s not an us-versus-them thing.”



4 p.m.

Denver Broncos union representative Matt Paradis says that while he wishes players were consulted on the new national anthem policy, NFL owners have every right to introduce new rules.

Paradis says that ”they are the employers, so if they want to create a stipulation, we’ll go from there.”

Denver defensive end Derek Wolfe agrees with the league&# Pittsburgh Steelers Customized Jerseys


So 7. Okt 2018, 05:34
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