Jul 30, 2021; Eagan, MN, United States; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) participates in drills at training camp at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings were without three quarterbacks on Saturday at training camp. Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, and Nate Stanley were absent due to COVID-related dealings.
Although it is unknown if Mond, a rookie from Texas A&M, is vaccinated, he reportedly contracted the coronavirus. Then, Cousins and Stanley were put in the COVID protocol territory as close contacts to Mond, disqualifying them from team activities for five days.
Jake Browning took all snaps at Saturday’s night practice, looking sharp while doing so. Because he was available and Cousins plus Stanley were not, the implication is that neither Cousins nor Stanley is vaccinated.
And for Kirk Cousins, that spurred a brand new round of fresh takes about the 32-year-old. He’s a somewhat polarizing figure as is, so the digital stratosphere pertaining to Cousins got a workout over the weekend.
These are the four Cousins-related opinions after the vaccine bedlam.
Before COVID, a debate transpired – seemingly every day – on the merits of Cousins’ abilities. Is he good or isn’t he? The statistics say that he is emphatically good. But his “QB Record” – a statistical parameter that some people adore – is perfectly average. 51-51-2 is his current and personal win-loss record. The naysayers struggle to reconcile the consistently impressive numbers with his mediocre win-loss record.
The “Cousins Is a Very Good QB, but He Should Be Vaccinated” group is comprised of those that defend his talents but also want to adhere to the legitimacy of science. That is – it is the mentality that leaders lead, and Cousins should lead as a football player on the field and in the locker room for life matters like the coronavirus vaccination.
For them, the best-case scenario is for Cousins to now get vaccinated after this “scare,” and lead the Vikings to the playoffs at his handsome contractual fee.
This segment of folks is the closest to “Cousins can do no wrong.” They champion his talents, injury-free availability, and standing as the Vikings QB1. After all, Cousins has never missed a professional football game due to injury. Since the start of 2015, Cousins, Russell Wilson, and Tom Brady are the only active quarterbacks to avoid missing games altogether due to injury. Philip Rivers was on this list, too, but he retired this offseason.
Cousins is more than entitled to his individual prerogative on the COVID vaccination — is the mindset for this camp. For many of them, the pandemic might be overblown or not quite as severe as the general population believes – hence the skepticism of a vaccine. This spring, Cousins notably made headlines when he asserted “If I die, I die” on the implications of COVID. In his defense, though, he did affirm that masks were reasonable if they put his teammates and others at ease.
On the recent events of Cousins missing portions of training camp because of Mond’s contraction of the virus, this crowd would prefer that Cousins bounce back later this week – with his personal decision on the vaccination wholly up to him. The fallout for the Vikings as a team is secondary to Cousins’ individual choice.
It gets a little quirky here. Many chide Cousins as a player incapable of propelling the Vikings to a Super Bowl. Curiously, when the prospect of Cousins missing time surfaces – like with this COVID stuff – then he becomes an integral part of the Vikings pathway to February. There is some paradoxical logic with this one.
This can be considered the savagery-no-matter-what fragment of Cousins opinion holders. Primarily, they claim he isn’t very good, massively overpaid, and then he chooses to hinder his team because of a stubborn vaccine stance. This is probably the most rapid pack of Cousins detractors – and they’re out there.
This one is self-explanatory. This partition of people learns that Cousins is the only NFL quarterback since 2015 to pass for 3,500+ passing yards and 25+ touchdowns in each season – but they decide to decry the statistic as hollow.
Along the way, it doesn’t really matter if he’s unvaccinated, per them, because he won’t lead the Vikings to much of anything anyway. It’s his choice to be vaccinated – and even he is, Minnesota isn’t going anywhere with him in the saddle.
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These are the camps. Cousins is one of the few sports personalities that cannot be figured out by the fans of his own team. His numbers are strangely comparable – and even exceed – those of Matthew Stafford’s, but the narratives surrounding Cousins and Stafford are fundamentally opposite. Stafford is a darling whereas Cousins is scrutinized.
Regardless of vaccinations, it is extremely odd.
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Reality Check: Cousins is a top 6 - Top 12 QB. He is not elite. He is top 10 level. With an elite team around him (Vikes 2021) He could win a SB. Cousins is paid very well. Cousins needs to get his ass vaccinated or he should return his salary every week he is not able to participate because of his decision to recklessly ignore vaccination during a Pandemic. That + Trump lost a fair election is reality and Dalvin Cook is awesome is Reality. Thanks for the Rubric Dustin.
Dustin, you forgot the crowd that says 'The fact that Cousins is getting paid an enormous contract in GUARANTEED money practically mandates that he get vaccinated'.
The current situation is a perfect example of why him being vaccinated matters: Cousins, ostensibly being careful and diligent to limit his exposure to anyone outside the Vikings organization who might have or has been exposed to COVID, still comes into contact with an exposed teammate in the normal participation of team duties, and is therefore sidelined by extensive, involved and mandatory NFL COVID restrictions for unvaccinated players. Is there any possible scenario that plays out where the Vikings somehow aren't on the hook for continuing to pay Cousins roundabout $1.5 million/game if he ends up sidelined in the league's pandemic protocols in an identical situation in the regular season?
Sure, whether or not to get the vaccine is everyone's personal choice (and I'll gloss over the fact that the Vikings backup QB situation for the 2021 season means that we are very SOL if Cousins misses any time), but Cousins has both a personal commitment to his fellow players as both their offensive leader and close-quarters teammate, as well as a financial commitment to the organization to the tune of $21 million (leaving out his eight-figure restructured signing bonus) to ensure that he is absolutely and unequivocally healthy and available to take the field in all 17 games this season. His missing any time would be devastating to the Vikings' 2021 campaign both physically and financially, and his failure to either understand or acknowledge that speaks volumes to his leadership role within the team.
Say whatever you will about Cousins' abilities as a QB1; until he chooses to get vaccinated, his commitment to the Vikings organization's success should be viewed as less than 100%.
As an unrelated aside, I was devastated to hear of Joe Johnson's passing. Skol to you in heaven, Joe - you will be greatly missed.
Both of the comments above are rooted in pure stupidity!
Work of geniuses compared to yours.
I agree that getting the shot is a personal decision, but in a team sport any individual...vaccinated or not that tests positive should not be paid for the time missed. With the variants changing...this will be an issue for at least five more years...get it figured out Mr Commissioner. It took 30 years to get the polio vaccine right...this Covid19 will be with us a long time.
Being vaccinated is a personal choice. Give that away and the government can put anything they want in your body to the point of killing you if you are deemed unworthy. The military has killed thousands of soldiers with that thought process with things like agent orange, and most recently over 35,000 Gulf War veterans have died as a result of receiving mandated anthrax vaccinations.
Do not forget the vaccine never went thru phase 3 trials before being injected into the population. You are the phase 3 trial. History is 70% of all drugs that make it to phase 3 fail for lack of efficacy and severe side effects. It was your choice to get jabbed and now you must live with that descsion. You still can get the virus and pass it on.
You know as an adult you have the responsibility to verify these claims before spreading them. Clue; everything you said is false.