The Facts: There was speculation about Cousins leaving the Vikings when the offseason got underway, but Cousins ended that by agreeing to a one-year extension with the team in March. Cousins’ extension keeps him tied to the team through the 2023 season and he said on Monday that he’s hopeful about remaining in Minnesota beyond that point. He told reporters that his “mindset” was to figure out a way to remain with the Vikings and that he’d like to retire as a member of the team at some point in the future.

Diehards Line:“I think the short answer is I want to be a Minnesota Viking. I wanted to help create some cap space so we could put together the roster that we feel really good about. It’s just trying to always find win-wins. I think it was a way to create a win-win and hopefully that leads to a lot of wins this fall,” Cousins said. ... As PFT notes, Cousins acknowledged that he has to play well in order for the Vikings to share his desire for a longer relationship and producing those wins this fall would be a good way to set up a long-term future with the NFC North club.