Cousins Out, But Harrison Smith Returns to the MN Vikings

We may be losing a star quarterback, but we are (re)gaining a star safety.

Earlier this week, Kirk Cousins made some Vikings fans extremely happy while simultaneously making other Vikings fans extremely sad by signing a 4-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. More on that debacle - including allegations of tampering - below.

The Good: Harrison Smith Returns to the Vikings

Longtime star safety Harrison Smith - whom I thought retired after last season's overall sh*tshow, but apparently didn't - is returning to the Vikings...for less money. He must really love it here.

The deal will likely allow Smith to retire as a Viking.

The Bad: Kirk Cousins Signs With Atlanta & Danielle Hunter Signs With Texans

The Vikings lost TWO big stars, one on either side of the ball. Cousins is moving to his wife's hometown (dork), while Hunter signed a 2-year, $49 million deal with the Houston Texans.

The Ugly: The Cousins Signing is Being Investigate For Tampering

At his introductory press conference, Cousins casually blurted out that he spoke with or met with the Falcons' athletic trainer and head of public relations before Wednesday...the day he could legally do so.

Teams can't have direct contact with a free agent during what's called the "legal tampering" period. Even a conversation with the athletic trainer could be a violation of tampering rules, and now the NFL is investigating.

It could very well be (and likely is) a big nothingburger, but still adds to the circus that is the Minnesota Vikings trying to do anything to get over the no-championship-ever hump.

Cue the music.