INDIANAPOLIS — Kirk Cousins is really good at this part. Like, among the best in the NFL. If there was a Hall of Fame for the business side, he would get in on the first ballot.

Since being selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, Cousins has earned more than $230 million in total, often helping reset the market for quarterbacks during the negotiation process.

It raises the question with Cousins set to become a free agent next month: How much are the Vikings going to have to spend to keep him on the roster?

Conversations at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week will go a long way in answering that question.

There will almost certainly be contact made between general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O’Connell and Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney. The topic of discussion will center on what exactly Cousins is looking for as he prepares to sign his next contract.

If anything is clear at this point, it’s that the Vikings want to keep Cousins, 35, around for the foreseeable future. Whenever Adofo-Mensah or O’Connell have been asked about Cousins this week, both have been effusive in their praise. They would love nothing more than to reach an agreement in the near future.

“What we do know is we have a really great quarterback,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He’s somebody that we think we can win the ultimate prize with.”

“My feelings on Kirk Cousins really have not wavered,” O’Connell said. “If anything they’re stronger now having gone through a lot of adversity together.”

Those kind words only go so far in the negotiation process.

Talking to reporters at TCO Performance Center in Eagan last month, Cousins tried to push the narrative forward, alluding to the fact that he wants to feel valued by the organization. That might be the most important part for him at this stage of his career. Especially coming off a torn Achilles tendon.

“It’s not about the dollars,” he said. “It’s about what the dollars represent.”

Though he wouldn’t elaborate on the statement, it’s not hard to read between the lines. He wants to be wanted perhaps more than anything else, and as far as Cousins is concerned, the best way for the Vikings to show that is by putting their money where their mouth is.

If the Vikings aren’t willing to do that for Cousins, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him test free agency.

The list of teams other than the Vikings that could be looking for a quarterback include the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders and maybe even the Denver Broncos, among a handful of others.

There’s a good chance McCartney will have some informal meetings this week independent of his communication with the Vikings.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Cousins posted a video on social media this week of himself throwing the ball after going through a full dropback. He was clearly trying to show how much progress he has made in his recovery. Asked about the video, O’Connell didn’t seem surprised by it in the slightest.

“I’ve been in contact with him pretty much weekly,” O’Connell said. “He’s doing some of his rehab with our folks in house. He’s also doing some rehab away from our facility as well. I know every check-in I get both either from the medical side or from Kirk himself is always pretty shocking as far as how far along he is already.”

As optimistic as the Vikings seem to be as they continue to navigate the NFL Combine this week, they are also admittedly making contingency plans just in case the negotiation process with Cousins doesn’t go according to plan.

“We have our interests and he has his,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’ll get to the table and see if we can figure out a creative solution on how to meet in the middle.”

Related Articles

Vikings ranked No. 2 in league for workplace conditions by anonymous NFLPA report cards

Vikings hire NFL journeyman Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has no interest in trading Justin Jefferson

Here are five questions Vikings must answer at this week’s NFL Combine

Charley Walters: Timberwolves buyers may need another extension

Flanked by protesters quietly hoisting signs calling for a Gaza ceasefire resolution, the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday approved more than $40 million in spending on parks and streets this year, to be funded by the new voter-approved 1% sales tax that takes effect April 1.

The vote proceeded without disruption, a week after a previous public hearing on a state grant was cut short by loud and persistent protest chants that ended only after council members left the room. Council President Mitra Jalali said a “multi-year effort” had moved the sales tax forward and city facilities suffering from long-deferred maintenance will now reap the benefits.

“We do not have the tax base of other communities, but we do have disproportionate strains,” said Jalali, noting the wear and tear on public streets from out-of-town visitors to the state Capitol complex and other city landmarks.

The first year of sales tax revenue will fund $10.2 million toward reconstructing Grand Avenue from Snelling to Fairview avenues this year, as well as another $500,000 toward intersection improvements at Grand and Snelling.

Projects next year will include portions of both Jackson Street and University Avenue near Interstate 35E next year, portions of Earl Street and Pelham Boulevard in 2026 and Shepard Road in 2027.

“There weren’t any couch cushions underneath which we could find (the funding) for those critical streets to be done,” said Council Member Rebecca Noecker, addressing St. Paul Public Works Dir. Sean Kershaw.

St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez said his department will make headway on long-deferred maintenance, such as replacing roofs and doors at rec centers across the city, as well asphalt replacement on parking lots, trails and sidewalks.

Larger projects will include new geothermal units at the Como Zoo, and the conversion of some tennis courts to pickleball courts.

Council Member Nelsie Yang said her political ward on the East Side is home to some of the most outdated libraries, rec centers and playing fields in the city, and she looked forward to the investment. “I’m very excited to vote in support of this resolution,” she said.

Council Member Anika Bowie said as much as she enjoyed the obstacle course-laden video game Mario Kart, driving bumpy St. Paul streets was much less fun. She thanked the department directors for incorporating neighborhood demographics such as race and income, among other equity measures, as they prioritized some 75 to 80 projects.

“This is an investment in our future athletes, and in our future leaders here in St. Paul,” Bowie said.

Related Articles

St. Paul City Council walks out as Nelsie Yang attempts to introduce Gaza ceasefire resolution

St. Paul City Council to back sales tax spending for Grand Avenue, parks projects

Letters: Meet these 3 housing goals, St. Paul Council

Protesters demand a Gaza ceasefire resolution. The St. Paul City Council isn’t poised to give them one.

St. Paul City Council poised to approve spending first year of new city sales tax on Grand Avenue, 75-80 parks projects

A Lake Elmo attorney has been disciplined for knowingly making a misleading statement to a court during a hearing.

The Minnesota Supreme Court suspended Paul E. Overson from the practice of law for 30 days, according to an order made public Wednesday.

The state office that investigates alleged misconduct by attorneys, the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, filed a petition with the court on Dec. 4.

It says Overson “committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline — namely, knowingly making a misleading statement to a court during a hearing and subsequently failing to correct his misleading statement,” according to the Supreme Court order.

The underlying case was a custody dispute filed in Washington County District Court in June 2022. Overson represented the respondent in the case, which has since been closed, according to court documents.

According to the petition, Overson failed to tell the court during a September 2022 hearing that the parties had already agreed to dismiss a matter involving an order for protection. Overson failed during and after the hearing “to correct his misleading statement and failed during the hearing to inform the court that the parties had agreed to dismiss the OFP matter,” the petition states.

The Minnesota Supreme Court order, written by Associate Justice Margaret Chutich, said Overson’s reinstatement after 30 days is contingent upon him filing with the Clerk of the Appellate Courts an affidavit establishing that he is “current in continuing legal education requirements,” among other conditions. He also must pay $900 in court costs and file, within one year of the date of the Feb. 24 order, with the Clerk of the Appellate Courts “proof of successful completion of the written examination required for admission to the practice of law by the Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners on the subject of professional responsibility,” the order states.

Overson did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. According to his disciplinary history, included as part of the petition, Overson previously was issued an admonition for withdrawing from representation one business day before a client’s deposition.

Related Articles

Lake Elmo Airport working on decreasing noise complaints with preventative measures

Woodbury grad party shooting: Gunman who fired shot that killed boy, 14, pleads guilty to unintentional murder

Now open in Stillwater: Mike and Kat’s Other Place, a cozy espresso bar

There’s only one place to score ‘Fargo’-themed Bisquick boxes. In Scandia, of course.

Stillwater school board approves later start time for high-schoolers in 2025-26