{"id":73272,"date":"2023-12-20T05:15:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T05:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=73272"},"modified":"2023-12-20T05:15:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T05:15:28","slug":"kirk-cousins-opens-up-about-vikings-future-name-drops-tom-brady-kieu-linh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/kirk-cousins-opens-up-about-vikings-future-name-drops-tom-brady-kieu-linh\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirk Cousins Opens Up About Vikings Future, Name-Drops Tom Brady"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Vikings have been without quarterback Kirk Cousins since Week 8. They lost the four-time Pro Bowler for the season to a torn Achilles.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/GettyImages-1724690256-e1703030784165.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now going on eight weeks removed from surgery, Cousins spoke about his rehab, future in Minnesota, and much more during a conversation with ESPN NFL insider, Adam Schefter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would love to be back in Minnesota. Hopefully, we can make that happen,\u201d Cousins said on \u201cThe Adam Schefter Podcast\u201d on December 18. \u201cTends to be more of a February, March conversation. And this is more right now about just finishing the football season, and trying to help us get to the playoffs and then stay in the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Vikings\u2019 playoff chances took a big hit with their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. They entered the week with a 63.2% chance with an opportunity to jump to a 78.5% chance with a win. Instead, their odds fell to 51.2% with the loss.<\/p>\n<p>Cousins went on to say that his \u201cfocus\u201d on supporting the team \u201cany way I can.\u201d It is a notion fill-in starting quarterback Nick Mullens has attested to.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vikings QB Nick Mullens: &#039;It was a collective effort&#039;\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Sm-maX1r_Eg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Cousins isn\u2019t losing sight of the big picture, though.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we get to late February, the [NFL] Combine, March, kinda try to see how 2024 is going to shake out,\u201d Cousins told Schefter.<\/p>\n<p>Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus projects Cousins\u2019 next contract to resemble that of Philip Rivers in 2020, or, roughly 12.6% of the salary cap which was $198.2 million at that time, per Spotrac.<\/p>\n<p>For Cousins, under a salary cap expected to exceed $240 million, Spielberger estimates Cousins\u2019 deal could come in around $60 million over two years with $37.5 million in guaranteed money.<\/p>\n<p>That $30 million annual salary works out to $12.5% of the projected cap in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The next question is should the Vikings be willing to invest that kind of capital into a quarterback who will be 36 years old by the start of next season and is coming off a major injury?<\/p>\n<p>Cousins listed off a whole host of athletes (and other public figures and friends) who have overcome Achilles injuries. He notes that many \u2013 including teammates Cam Akers and Jordan Hicks, who has torn both of his Achilles before \u2013 came back as good if not better than before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do believe there\u2019s, probably, my best football still up ahead of me. But I gotta go prove that with the way I heal up and then with the way I play up ahead,\u201d Cousins said. \u201cThe game is so much mental, and it\u2019s so much on past experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Kirk Cousins Impacted by Tom Brady, in Contact With Aaron Rodgers<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/GettyImages-1427380317-e1703031103730.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Minnesota Vikings\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve heard Tom Brady comment, \u2026 \u2018I\u2019ve spent my whole life in football to get to this point where I know the defenses, I know the blitzes, I know the checks, I\u2019ve seen them all that many times,&#8217;\u201d Cousins said. \u201cIt\u2019d be a shame if I\u2019m the best version of myself but my arm can no longer do it. \u2026 Because the mental side of it, and even the emotional, is the best it\u2019s ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cousins again pointed to the \u201cexperience factor\u201d and the reps that he has under his belt.<\/p>\n<p>He added that he isn\u2019t thinking too far into the future, but says it would be \u201chard\u201d for him to walk away while he still feels like he can do it physically.<\/p>\n<p>Schefter then asked about why Cousins hasn\u2019t been mentioned in similar comeback conversations like Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles in Week 1. It was just four snaps into his career with the New York Jets.<\/p>\n<p>Cousins noted the roughly seven-week difference in their injuries. He said it would put his return in line with a Vikings Super Bowl run. He also joked they would keep him out if they made it.<\/p>\n<p>But he did say he has spoken to Rodgers since the injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe and I spoke \u2026 and I was just able to ask him about his rhythm, his routine. I wanted to hear his habits,\u201d Cousins said. \u201cIt was just helpful. And then, on our bye week, we checked in again. \u2026 It\u2019s fun to have a guy who\u2019s two months ahead of me so I can have this road map to follow and learn from.<\/p>\n<p>Cousins said he was \u201creally grateful\u201d for Rodgers. He called him a \u201cgreat resource,\u201d saying he would be checking in with the Jets quarterback again.<\/p>\n<h2>Kirk Cousins Updates Timeline for Return to Field<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/GettyImages-1832889132-e1703030976385.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He admitted that after his initial diagnosis, which took the team\u2019s foot and ankle surgeon, Dr. J. Chris Coatzee, \u201cabout a half a second,\u201d he had doubts about his future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wonder,\u201d Cousins said, reflecting on his looming free-agent status.<\/p>\n<p>Cousins said that his medical team is hesitant to put a definitive timeline on his recovery. But the next time he\u2019ll meet with the surgeon will be \u201clate January, early February\u201d. That is right around the time he will start thinking about his contract.<\/p>\n<p>At that point, he expects to be making the transition from walking to jogging. Cousins said he\u2019s planning on \u201cmissing as few practices in the spring as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Vikings have been without quarterback Kirk Cousins since Week 8. They lost the four-time Pro Bowler for the season to a torn Achilles. Now going&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}