Beyond the obvious of cashing in, quarterback Case Keenum would be absolutely stupid to leave the Vikings after finally posting a solid regular season. The journeyman-turned-star went 11-3 with a Vikings squad that was a game away from the Super Bowl.
Minny wasn’t Case’s first kick at the can. There were 26 appearances with the Texans and the Rams that were underwhelming to say the least. All of a sudden he killed it with the Vikes and he is contemplating leaving? Come on, man. Be realistic here.
Case Keenum Leaving Minnesota
For the Vikings, they haven’t re-signed Keenum either because they’re interested in Kirk Cousins, or because it’s a leverage move to keep the Keenum price down. But can you blame them? No one saw this coming. Is Case for real? Has he figured it out, finally? Or did he simply catch lightning in a bottle for a few months. It’s really hard to say.
If I am Keenum’s agent, I ask for market value or maybe even a little less. Anything to keep the gravy train going that is Minnesota. This is a team built for contention – provided they don’t overspend on a quarterback. At 30, Keenum is probably halfway through his career, if he’s lucky. So he definitely wants to earn as much as he can this offseason. But in a sport where contracts are not guaranteed he also needs to make sure he doesn’t price himself out of a job.
I’m not saying he needs to take scraps or settle for a backup role, but he also needs to be realistic in his expectations.
The solution? Come in just under market value and agree to a two-year deal. Make himself too attractive for the Vikings to say no to. Then, once he has another two years of incredible success behind him, raise that asking price in the ultimate final NFL contract.
Until then, all we (and even he) can do is watch and wait.
Matthew Ross is a sports commentator and a radio host on TSN 690 Radio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Follow him @MatthewWords.