Kirk Cousins is taking his talents to Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum (7) gets a pass away from Green Bay Packers linebacker Reggie Gilbert (93) in the first quarter at Lambeau Field.

As the beginning of free agency draws closer, some of the NFL’s top players are stepping up their public recruitment of coveted quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Cousins will visit with the Vikings first, according to NFL Network, meaning it’s possible the 29-year-old quarterback could join Minnesota without hearing the Jets’ full pitch. To get there, they needed to find their missing piece at quarterback – an issue of instability they’ve had for years that might now be remedied with Cousins under center.

In the race for Cousins, New York has the most cap space at $89 million.

Kirk Cousins is set to hit free agency and start a bidding war unlike anything the National Football League has ever seen, and he may have dropped a hint about his ultimate destination. He could command a deal worth $30 million to $35 million per season. They are without a quarterback, which means they better land Kirk Cousins. You know, see the place. Keenum reportedly agreed to terms with the Broncos on Tuesday, while Bradford and Bridgewater remain available. The former journeyman made $2 million on a one-year deal in 2017.

With Cousins now gone, the Redskins will start Alex Smith in 2018. In the early years of free agency, there rarely was a trade that occurred until draft time, as we were in the mode of cutting salaries, releasing players and restructuring deals.

It’s exceedingly rare for an elite QB to move teams as a free agent, especially in the prime of their careers, but such a move would give them more leverage in contract negotiations.

But you have to read to the end – all the way down, in fact. The Vikings haven’t had a quarterback play all 16 games in back-to-back seasons in most of our lifetimes. While they could draft a quarterback at the No. 15 overall pick in the draft, they might want to get a veteran starter and draft a project-type quarterback they could develop in the second or third round.

Even the Vikings’ social media accounts can’t help but troll the fans by dropping little bread crumbs about what they may or may not do come March 14.