The new NFL League year started this week with the “legal tampering” period on Monday and the Vikings made a huge splash—but it was kind of a belly flop. Free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins bolted to Atlanta and is said to have agreed (he can’t sign it until Wednesday) to a 4-year, $180 million contract with a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million of it fully guaranteed. (He should be able to afford a new irrigation system at his golf course, now if he needs one.)
That is the big news. But what it does for Minnesota is free up some cap room for signing other free agents—and GM Kwesi Aldolfo-Mensah spent that money on bolstering up Brian Flores’ defense.