Vikings vs. Kirk Cousins: Team should finally have some leverage in contract talks

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.Kirk Cousins has given the Vikings five years of stable quarterback play. That might turn into six. It might turn into many more.

But in a twist on the relationship so far, the determination about Cousins' future with the Vikings this offseason might evolve into a more level playing field in which both sides have leverage in negotiations.

To this point, that hasn't been the case. To what extent the Vikings are able to create that leverage will be determined in the next handful of days. And how hard they work to create cap space without doing another Cousins extension could tell us a lot about how they feel about their future with the quarterback — something…