Report: Jets sense Cousins leaning toward Vikings

— The Sports Xchange —

The New York Jets, reportedly one of the four teams that will be in the final mix for expected free-agent-to-be Kirk Cousins, are making contingency plans.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, citing a team source, wrote that the Jets “are aware of the league-wide speculation that Cousins is ticketed for Minnesota and they are taking that threat seriously after some informal, preliminary talks with his camp this week.”

Other teams expected to be among finalists for Cousins are the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos.

“There’s a lot of situations that work out where your Plan A is never the plan that works out and Plan B or C works out even better,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this week. “They’re right next to each other so we feel good about it.”

Cousins, who has played two seasons for the Washington Redskins on a franchise tag, topped the 4,000-yard mark for the third straight year in 2017. He finished with 4,093 yards, with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

The 29-year-old’s time in Washington likely is running short, however, after the Redskins agreed to a deal with quarterback Alex Smith on Jan. 30. That deal can become official on March 14, the first day of the new league year. Cousins will become a free agent on that day as well.

Vacchiano wrote about the Jets: “They believe they can outbid the Vikings and offer a better contract structure, the source said, but they still think Cousins might go to Minnesota for what he’ll believe is a better chance to immediately win.”

Minnesota has three potential starting quarterbacks on its roster, but each is an unrestricted free agent: Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater.

“I think we have a pretty good idea of what we feel, but I also know that a lot of things will go into play in this decision — contracts are definitely a factor in it,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said at the Combine.