Minnesota Vikings veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins is taking a different approach to free agency than most players, as he isn't exactly seeking the biggest payday possible.

Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Cousins said Monday that he feels "structure is probably more important" as he decides his next move.

"Everything that isn't the dollars," he said. "That stuff you also work through."

Seifert noted that Cousins "has made it clear that he hopes to re-sign" with the Vikings, and the team's decision-makers "are warm to the idea." Cousins explained how his current mindset differs from when he was younger.

"I had a coach who I was with who was a younger coach at the time," Cousins said. "This was back eight, nine years ago, before my first franchise tag, and we were talking about the situation and he made a great comment. He said, 'Kirk, it's not about the dollars, but it is about what the dollars represent.' I thought that was an interesting comment that he made. There will always be some of that."

The 36-year-old's current contract paid him an average of $35 million, which ranked 15th among quarterbacks in 2023. The contract will automatically void in March, and Cousins has a clause that prevents him from being franchise-tagged.

Cousins is coming off a lost season in which he suffered a ruptured Achilles in Week 8. At the time of the injury, he was leading the NFL with 18 touchdowns and ranked second with 2,331 passing yards. He said he's not worried about how the injury will impact his impending free agency.

"I'm not going to try to sell myself, if you will," he said. "I kind of like to let people make their own decisions, because I do think the league needs quarterbacks, and if you're trying to talk yourself out of a quarterback, then I can't help you much. The Achilles is going to heal."