Alliance... » The leverage of free agency in his prime brought

EAGAN Ryan Anderson Jersey , Minn. (AP)Kirk Cousins the market-setting contract with Minnesota.Now the Vikings have their latest franchise quarterback to try to secure that elusive first Super Bowl victory with.The Vikings wrapped up their welcome party with an $84 million, three-year contract for Cousins on Thursday afternoon, banking big time on the late-blooming former Washington Redskins prospect to finally stabilize a critical position that’s been infamously problematic.”The contract, it is what it is,” Cousins said. ”But what my wife and I are thrilled about is the organization we are walking into.”The money for Cousins is fully guaranteed, the largest such figure in NFL history, at least until the next mega quarterback contract comes along, according to figures tracked by the pro sports financial website spotrac.com . His annual average of $28 million is also, for now, the biggest in the league, at least until the next mega quarterback contract comes along.Team owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf were willing to approve the investment, hopeful that Cousins can be the keystone to a championship squad.”If anybody in this city or this state has a question about their commitment, I think this contract shows that they’re all in,” Cousins said. ”It’s a tremendous amount of belief in me as a person and as a player, and I’m humbled and honored to get the OK on that.”The guarantee of the full value of the deal is unprecedented in the NFL, where a variety of complex factors have kept players from receiving sure-thing contracts like their professional baseball, basketball and hockey peers.His agent, Mike McCartney, began talking to Cousins about the potential for such a groundbreaking deal more than two years ago with the assumption he’d eventually arrive at free agency because of the noncommittal Redskins.”There’s nothing I can pave unless people come after me,” Cousins said at his introductory news conference at the team’s sparkling and still-under construction suburban headquarters. ”I guess history will probably write that.”Cousins will represent the fourth primary quarterback the Vikings have had in as many seasons. As long as he stays healthy throughout the summer, Cousins will also represent the eighth starting quarterback for a season opener in the past nine years.Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford and Case Keenum all became free agents this week and signed with other teams, so the Vikings didn’t have much of a backup plan if Cousins balked at their offer.But as a team with a star-laden defense and plenty of dynamic skill-position players on offense that reached the NFC championship game last season, the Vikings also represented quite the destination for Cousins.”I came here because of the chance to win,” he said. ”I felt like it was probably the best chance.”Cousins started 57 games over his six seasons with Washington, which drafted him in the fourth round in 2012 behind second overall draft pick Robert Griffin III. RG3’s star faded quickly, though, and Cousins, who was lightly recruited out of Holland Christian High School before landing at Michigan State, worked his way up the depth chart. He topped 4 Fabian Moreau Jersey ,000 passing yards over each of the past three years.The Redskins appeared in only one postseason game with Cousins at the helm, and his career record as a starter is just 26-30-1. Rarely does a rising quarterback reach free agency before turning 30, though, so after playing for about $20 million in 2016 and about $24 million in 2017 on consecutive franchise tags with Washington, Cousins reached his opportunity to truly cash in after the Redskins acquired Alex Smith in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.”He bet on himself several times and won, and those things are really important to me,” coach Mike Zimmer said. ”He’s always played with a chip on his shoulder. We’re just really excited to have him.”Realizing he was headed for the open market, Cousins began scouring the Twin Cities area while in town for promotional appearances the week of the Super Bowl. Just two days into his visit, the Smith deal went down. Upon phoning home to his wife, Julie, he gave a glowing scouting report of the region.”This is a lifetime deal. That’s the goal,” Cousins said. ”Yes, it’s a three-year deal, but the expectation from both sides is that we raise our kids here and if everything goes as planned, we’re here for a long time.”The Vikings began the day $50 million under their salary cap , according to NFL Players Association data, and the deal with Cousins will take up almost half of that with the prospect of expensive extensions looming in the coming year for players such as linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks and wide receiver Stefon Diggs.They still have space to make more improvements this month, though and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was already at the new facility on Thursday for a visit. Richardson, a first-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2013 draft, was traded to the Seattle Seahawks prior to last season.— ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson sat a few feet away from each other as fresh-faced college players at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York in late 2005 and never imaged this would happen.Twelve NFL seasons later for Smith and 11 for Peterson and they’re now in the same backfield together with the Washington Redskins.The 34-year-old quarterback acquired by trade in February and 33-year-old running back signed off the street during the preseason have each been around the block a few times and now bear the expectations of trying to get Washington back to the playoffs.“I think the sky’s the limit,” Peterson said. “I feel like we can really be an explosive offense.”For a team that has embraced continuity, including coach Jay Gruden going into his fifth season, the turnover from Kirk Cousins and a running game by committee to Smith and Peterson represents a huge shift.The Redskins believe Smith will better be able to command the offense that includes Peterson, now-healthy tight end Jordan Reed, receivers Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson and third down back Chris Thompson.From the first day of training camp, Smith has looked the part as the long-term answer at quarterback the way Cousins never did because of his predecessor’s series of one-year deals. It helped that the Redskins signed Smith to a $94 million, four-year extension to make him their man.Likewise, Peterson took only a couple of days of practice to look as if he passed Samaje Perine and Rob Kelley as the top running back after second-round pick Derrius Guice tore the ACL in his left knee and changed the franchise’s course for this season.Smith is coming off the best season of his career when he threw for 4 Samaje Perine Jersey ,042 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions with Kansas City. He doesn’t want to label this his so-called “prime,” but Smith appears to be in the midst of it.“I still feel like my best football is ahead of me certainly,” Smith said. “I still feel like I have been ascending. I still feel like I haven’t reached my potential which pushes me, challenges me to continue to strive to get better. I still feel like I am a young 34-year old and I do have a lot of ball ahead of me.”Peterson has a lot of tread on the tires as the 12th-leading rusher in NFL history and had his past two seasons cut short by injuries. One workout was enough for Gruden to believe Peterson still had something left, and 11 carries for 56 yards in his preseason debut showed everyone else a glimpse of the 2012 league MVP who ran roughshod in purple for so many years with Minnesota.“Having him on the team, it’s a joy,” said left tackle Trent Williams, a longtime friend of Peterson’s dating to their time together at Oklahoma. “It’s a dream come true. I’m happy to see him, and I know we’ll open up some lanes for him. So I know he’s going to shine.”Peterson will occasionally catch younger running backs staring at him in disbelief and is proud he inspired some of them with his career. Smith similarly has the resume to earn immediate respect from teammates, who are ready to line up with him and Peterson to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.“They both are very respected veterans in this league for a reason, for their work ethic and playing abilities,” Reed said. “We’ve got two great players on our team, and they’re perfect fits for what we need.”Some things to watch with the Redskins this season:ROLL TIDEThe run defense and pass rush should be much-improved with second-year lineman Jonathan Allen healthy and the addition of Alabama teammate Daron Payne, the 13th overall pick in the draft. Allen had his rookie season cut short by a foot injury, and Payne didn’t miss a step after injuring his left ankle early in camp.“He’s a big-time player,” linebacker Mason Foster said of Payne. “Really athletic, has a great grasp with the defense already. Just a physical freak so, playing behind him is going to be great.”DIFFERENCE-MAKING NORMANJosh Norman is going into the third year of a $75 million contract with just three interceptions for the Redskins and none last season. His abilities as a cover cornerback are unquestioned and mean he gets fewer opportunities, but Norman also dropped a handful of potential interceptions in 2017 and is being counted on — and paid — to make that kind of a difference in a young secondary.“It’s just that six inches from making a play to not making a play,” Norman said. “Touching (your) hands, DB rules you got to have it.”THOMPSON THREATWith a combined 804 yards and six touchdowns rushing and receiving, Thompson was Washington’s secret option last season before breaking his fibula in November. Thompson is still trying to overcome the mental hurdle about making cuts on his right leg, but just being on the field is a plus.“Chris Thompson is a key asset to our offense,” linebacker Preston Smith said. “He’s a great (running) back, he brings a lot of different tools to the offense.”SLOW STARTERSThe Redskins are 0-4 in season openers under Gruden, who was also criticized for their performance in a potential win-and-get-in game against the New York Giants who had nothing to play for in Week 17 in 2016. Gruden played it safe in the preseason by resting players coming off injuries to avoid a similar problem to a year ago, but with a difficult schedule on paper, Washington needs a strong start at Arizona and against Indianapolis to contend for the playoffs.