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MPR News Staff
St. Paul

We're all Cousins now: Vikings sign next quarterback

Minnesota Vikings new quarterback Kirk Cousins with his new jersey.
Minnesota Vikings new quarterback Kirk Cousins, second from left, poses with his new jersey along with, from left, head coach Mike Zimmer, general manager Rick Spielman and owner Mark Wilf.
Jim Mone | AP

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Updated: 6:12 p.m. | 2:31 p.m.

Longtime Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins officially signed Thursday with the Minnesota Vikings in a deal that makes the team a contender for a division title and a potential Super Bowl.

The Vikings didn't disclose the details of the contract but NFL.com reports that Cousins signed a three-year, guaranteed $84 million deal that makes him the highest paid player in football history.

Cousins has spent six seasons in the NFL, all of them with Washington. He was ranked as one of the top free agents available this year.

Cousins can throw the deep ball. He can throw into tight windows. And he can shuffle his feet quickly enough to escape danger in a collapsing pocket.

At a news conference at the team's new facility Thursday, Cousins said he came to Minnesota primarily for one reason.

"I came here because of the chance to win," he said. "I felt like it was probably the best chance. And that's all that matters in this business but more importantly than that, the chance to win comes from the leadership of this organization."

Cousins will be the Vikings' fourth starting quarterback in four seasons.

"You have to do what you have to do to get him in your building, because if we weren't there're going to be a lot of other teams that would've," Vikings' General Manager Rick Spielman said at a press conference formally introducing Cousins to the media Thursday afternoon.

Cousins will work closely with new Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who has intimate knowledge of Cousins and his ability.

DeFilippo's former team, the Eagles, played Washington twice each season. Cousins is a fiery sort and likes to assert himself as a leader. His relationship with DeFilippo could be a key to the success of both men in Minnesota.