Thursday 15 March 2018 12:16, UK
Kirk Cousins is expected to finalise a groundbreaking contract with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, as the dust settles on a frantic free agency.
At the start of the week, as many as six teams were without a quarterback but one by one the dominoes fell as the start of the new league year kicked into gear.
Case Keenum's move to Denver was first reported on Tuesday and when the 2018 year officially began on Wednesday at 8pm (GMT) the move was one of the first confirmed and the ripple effects continued for the next 48 hours.
The Broncos, along with New York Jets, had been the major rivals to the Vikings for Cousins' signature and it was no coincidence that within minutes of that report, the news emerged that Cousins was set for a trip to Minneapolis.
While the deal has yet to be signed off, the rest of the contenders knew their race was run and one by one they added QBs to their rosters for 2018, with the Vikings patiently waiting for Cousins' visit on Thursday when he is expected to sign a three-year deal worth $84million - fully guaranteed making him the highest paid player in the league.
And it is the last part of that sentence that has already begun to resonate around the NFL, with Seattle's Doug Baldwin full of praise for the 30-year-old's patience and use of the system.
Many contracts are bonus and incentive-laden, deals often restructured for cap space, but Cousins will get every penny of the contract he signs and with names such as Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers closing in on the end of their contracts, the market is likely to explode.
Cousins had been franchise tagged for each of the last two years, earning him plenty of money, but also positioning him for this off-season when it could be argued he has become the NFL's answer to Jean-Marc Bosman, who paved the way for football's free-transfer market.
So, Cousins will head to Minnesota and all the indications are the deal will become official on Thursday and the pressure will then be on for the former fourth-round Draft pick to deliver - nothing less than a Super Bowl over the next three years has to be the target for a team as well stocked on both sides of the ball as anyone.
He will have company in the quarterback room after the Vikings secured a trade for Denver's Trevor Siemian, who will find himself as the backup at US Bank Stadium.
Former Vikings players Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford have got themselves fixed up - Bridgewater's injury problems have led to a heavily incentivised deal with the Jets, while Bradford will sign a one-year deal with Arizona.
There was a flurry of activity among the backup QBs on Wednesday while AJ McCarron was late to the party, securing a two-year deal with Buffalo late on Wednesday night to become the last major QB name off the board.
Last week, former Bills starter Tyrod Taylor headed for Cleveland with Washington finding their replacement for Cousins in Alex Smith as far back as January, and attention will now switch to the next generation of stars.
With the 2018 Draft just a month away, there is plenty more drama to play out - especially with as many as five college QBs tipped to be selected in the first round. Several teams look to have signed 'bridge' answers with the hope of claiming one of the 'Class of 2018' on April 26.
The Cousins race may be won but the contenders are now already moving into the blocks for the next stage of an off-season full of posturing and manoeuvring, some six months before the new season gets underway.
Free agency may be in full flow but we will also have all three days live of the NFL Draft on @SkySportsNFL at the end of April
Neil Reynolds will host a preview show, a wrap show after day one and another wrap after the final day. Stay tuned to @SkySportsNFL for more details in the coming days
