Rick Spielman doubled down on his support for Kirk Cousins while speaking to the media on Wednesday.

"I think Coach [Mike Zimmer] put that to bed when he spoke after the season," the Minnesota Vikings general manager said. "Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. I know there's a lot of rumors floating around out there, but Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We felt that he played very well, probably the best that he's ever played, down that stretch last year.

"Kirk is our quarterback going forward, and I look forward to him [having] another year in this system. I'm excited for him and what he's going to bring to our team next year."

After signing a record three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed deal as a free agent in 2018, Cousins signed a two-year, $66 million extension last March that earns him a $21 million base salary in 2021. His $35 million base salary for 2022 becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the roster on the third day of the 2021 league year, which begins March 17.