The Vikings have not announced anything yet, because technically nothing is official, but the club will ink free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a multi-year, fully-guaranteed contract within the next 24 hours. We got a little bit closer to confirmation when a local news station spotted Cousins and GM Rick Spielman emerging from a restaurant on Tuesday night.

Because it's Minnesota and people are friendly and Cousins is a nice guy in general, the pair stopped and talked to the KARE 11 reporter outside of the Capital Grille, which was apparently the restaurant audible the Vikings called for Cousins' diet.

It was really awkward! Cousins wife couldn't believe the Minny paparazzi was storming the gates at this fancy downtown restaurant and just kind of giggled about the whole thing.

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via Twitter

Cousins didn't giggle, he basically confirmed he's excited to be joining the Vikings.

"Had a great visit, looking forward to tomorrow, going to be able to see more of the city and the facilities," Cousins said. "It's a great organization and my wife and I are thrilled to be here."

Smart stuff there. Doesn't reveal if he's actually signing while also strongly hinting that he is signing. Provides vague platitudes about his future while complimenting the city of Minneapolis and the Vikings organization. It's the blueprint for a free agent visiting a city/team and getting caught outside a restaurant. 

Spielman was a little more to the point, basically admitting that Cousins is a done deal, although acknowledging there is no contract done ... yet. It's supposed to happen on Thursday, according to the GM.

"We had some of their players and their wives, coaches and their wives. Just to get a feel for everything. It's all football with him tomorrow. In fact, I hope I don't see him tomorrow until he's singing the paper," Spielman said. "He'll be with the coaches all day tomorrow. He and Zim had a nice talk with him tonight as well, along with ownership. I know, we'll talk tomorrow, hopefully at the press conference, but he's not only, from a football player standpoint, but from a character standpoint, a family guy, leadership, everything is just off the charts."

In other words: we're signing him and I don't care what my coaches think. Cousins would borderline need to punch Zimmer in the face in order for this deal not to happen.

The Vikings present the best combination of money and opportunity for Cousins, because he's going to get $84 million guaranteed and also hit free agency again at the age of 32 in the first year of a new CBA. Given the fact that Cousins has already been tagged twice, he's not going to be restricted by the Vikings when it comes to leaving. This is a really good deal for Cousins and a pretty big risk for the Vikings at that price tag.

Cousins is about to drift out of the news a little bit after he signs his contract, but he will remain very much one of the top storylines in 2018, with everyone wondering just how well the Vikings can do with a top-tier, free-agent quarterback on the roster.