Kirk Cousins Updates Timeline for Return
Whether playing for the Minnesota Vikings or another NFL team, quarterback Kirk Cousins plans to return by May.
Kirk Cousins Updates Timeline for Return
That’s when organized team activities (OTAs) kick off around the league, and Cousins has tentatively circled May on the calendar as his go-live date. The 35-year-old tore his Achilles tendon on October 29th at Lambeau Field in a win over the Green Bay Packers, ending his season while the Vikings finished the season 3-6 without the QB1.
Among a handful of topics, Cousins discussed his recovery this week with CBS Sports, “My expectation is that I’ll be able to practice during OTAs as normal. But the question will be, is it worth it? And so you have to weigh that a little bit. But my goal would be that I’m saying I can go, and you guys are going to have to stop me because I feel that good.”
Cousins was on pace for 5,000 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions before the injury, also known as MVP-caliber numbers. Minnesota had just climbed to a 5-4 record on the season, and everything was finally taking shape.
“If I’m not allowed into the full-team drills, I know I can do basically a full-speed practice on the field next to it is pretty much my goal,” Cousins continued.
The veteran passer is scheduled to hit free agency in March, and if Minnesota’s front office is in the mood, it can reunite with the veteran signal-caller for a seventh season. As always, though, with Cousins, the kicker will be money. If he and the Vikings can meet in the middle on an extension is the deal sealer — or breaker — and fans will learn the outcome before March 11th, when free agency’s “legal tampering” period begins.
Cousins added details about possibly returning to the field in May, “But 7-on-7, there’s nobody around you. It’s a safe drill. So, at a minimum, I would think that’s a drill that, as a pocket-passing quarterback, would be very doable. And that’s kind of the beauty of the Achilles injury is that you can get back, and you can get going again in a way that isn’t as crippling as if it was a back injury or something that’s a little more critical, like your shoulder or your elbow.”
His next contract is expected to fetch between $40 and 50 million per year, although some Vikings faithful think he’ll return at a “hometown discount.” If the Vikings don’t re-sign Cousins, teams like the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, or Pittsburgh Steelers could explore his free agency.
In the same interview with CBS Sports, Cousins was asked about potentially pairing with Bill Belichick, a finalist for the Falcons’ open head coach job. He replied. “I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach, but we’ll have to see where March leads. There’s just a lot of unknowns right now.”
Cousins is the Vikings’ second-leading passer in franchise history in passing touchdowns behind Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.