Tag: KIRK COUSINS
Vikings’ Cousins: ‘I am thrilled for the opportunity to play for Kevin(O’Connell)’
The Minnesota Vikings have agreed in principle to a one-year contract extension with quarterback Kirk Cousins, the team announced Sunday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s a one-year, fully-guaranteed $35 million extension.
Cousins will make $40 million this year and $30 million next. The deal has two voidable years in it to lower his cap number this year to $31.25 million, and $50 million of the deal will be paid by this time next year, according to the report.
“Kirk was one of the first players I called when I joined the Vikings, and it was immediately clear how much he cares about this organization and about winning,” General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Menshah said in a statement from the team. “High-level quarterback play is a prerequisite to building a championship team, and we are confident Kirk will continue along that path.”
The 33-year-old Cousins, who will enter his 11th NFL season in 2022, was named to his third career Pro Bowl after finishing fourth in the NFL in passer rating (103.1) and throwing 33 touchdowns to only seven interceptions in 2021.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to play for Kevin(O’Connell) and could not be more excited about the direction of our team,” Cousins said. “As soon as we return to TCO Performance Center next month, we will begin working toward our collective goal of bringing a championship to Vikings fans.”
In his four seasons with the Vikings, Cousins has started all 63 regular-season games in which he appeared, the fourth-most starts in Vikings history among quarterbacks, and has thrown for 16,387 passing yards (4th in team history), 124 passing touchdowns (4th), and a 68.3 completion percentage (2nd), giving him a franchise-record 103.5 passer rating.
The Vikings get cap space, and maybe Cousins can flourish under new head coach Kevin O’Connell; who knows, but he will definitely have an opportunity to do it.
Vikings’ Kirk Cousin added to Pro Bowl roster
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has been named to the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl. Cousins, who will be appearing in his third Pro Bowl of his career, will be replacing QB Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, who is unable to participate due to injury.
Cousins finished the season with 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 103.1. His passer rating (103.1) was the fourth-best in the NFL, trailing only Rodgers, Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
Cousins was also one of two quarterbacks on the year to throw for over 30 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions (Rodgers). Cousins becomes the fifth Viking to participate in this year’s Pro Bowl alongside RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson, S Harrison Smith and T Brian O’Neill.
The AFC and NFC teams will face off in the 2022 Pro Bowl on Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 3 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Vikings’ Cousins talks COVID-19 protocols for training camp, preseason
On Wednesday, the NFL came out with updated COVID-19 protocols for training camp and preseason. As a result, life will look a little different for players and coaches who are vaccinated for the virus and those who are not.
Look at it below:
The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to updated COVID-19 protocols for 2021 training camp and preseason, per source.
How different will life by for vaccinated and unvaccinated players? From the memo that just went to clubs: pic.twitter.com/8yMPW0JBWZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 16, 2021
Based on this list, there seems to be an advantage for vaccinated players and teams that have several of their players vaccinated. Keep in mind, these guidelines are just for training camp and preseason, so they could change when the regular season starts.
According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, more than 50% of the league’s players have at least one dose of the vaccine.
On Wednesday, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins was asked whether he was vaccinated and the potential differences that vaccinated and unvaccinated players could experience in 2021.
“I choose to keep my medical history private as with anything else that goes on,” Cousins said on Wednesday. “It’ll be a lot like last year to that degree. We’ve already lived it for one season. It’s a fluid situation and has been since the Covid-19 pandemic began. We’ll take it one week at a time, one month at a time, and see where we are when we get to the season. It’s so important that we focus on football as well and really making sure that we’re winning football games. That’s really what it’ll be about…
“I think people just need to make their own decision and make the one that’s best for them and their families. We’ll let them make their own decision.”
Cousins is correct. This is a fluid situation, but the NFL wants all of its players vaccinated based on these guidelines. It should be interesting to see if these guidelines will encourage players to get vaccinated before the season starts.
Vikings’ Cousins named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Minnesota’s Week 17 victory against the Detroit Lions.
Cousins, a nine-year pro, led the Vikings in the season-ending victory as he completed 28-of-40 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 127.6 passer rating. Cousins also scored one of the Vikings two rushing touchdowns in the 37-35 win over Detroit. With three touchdown passes against the Lions, Cousins became the second player in team history to throw 35 or more touchdowns in a season, joining Daunte Culpepper who holds the team record of 39 set in 2004.
He finished the season with a franchise record eight games of three-plus passing touchdowns, passing Culpepper’s previous record of seven (2000). Cousins’ 17 career games with 300-plus passing yards, three-plus touchdowns and 115.0 or better passer rating are the most in the first nine seasons of a quarterback’s career in NFL history.
The accolade marks Cousins’ sixth-career NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor and second as a Viking. In October 2019, he was tabbed NFC Offensive Player of the Month for the third time in his career.
Vikings’ Cousins on falling to 6-8: ‘It’s certainly not where we wanted to be’
Two weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings were 6-6 and had control of the final wild-card spot in the NFC after starting 1-5. However, two losses later, the Vikings are on the outside looking in.
On Sunday, the Vikings fell to the Bears at home 33-27, and at 6-8, making the playoffs will be an uphill battle for Minnesota as they fall two games behind the seventh-seeded Cardinals for the final wild-card spot in the NFC with two games to play.
“It’s certainly not where we wanted to be,’ Vikings QB Kirk Cousins said after the game. “You look back, and you think about some really tough losses, one play here or there throughout the season, that you know you’re so close. That’s why, when you prepare all week, when you’re in the game, you feel that intention and intensity on every snap because you know that it really is one snap that can make the difference in a win or a loss and going to the playoffs or not going to the playoffs.
“Every snap then requires so much focus, and you need to cover your bases Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so you’re ready to go. This league, it’s just the way it is. Every game is back-and-forth, and then it tests you, and this season is just another reminder of that.”
These two teams met in Week 10, and in that game, Minnesota’s defense held QB Nick Foles and Chicago to 6 points(scored TD on KO return) and 149 total yards in the Vikings’ 19-13 victory. On Sunday, QB Mitchell Trubisky and Chicago scored 33 points and had 397 total yards, which disappointed Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
“We didn’t play very well defensively today,” he said. “Last time we played [the Bears], they didn’t score a touchdown on us defensively, and this week we couldn’t slow them down. We didn’t do a good job on the bootlegs, didn’t do a good job in the run game, so that was really disappointing.”
At this point, Minnesota will have a difficult time making the playoffs. According to ESPN.COM, the team has a 4% chance of making the playoffs, so barring a miracle, Minnesota’s season is pretty much done and will end in disappointment. Now, they play for pride.
Notes:
After missing three field goals and an extra point last Sunday, Vikings K Dan Bailey went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and made all three of his point after touchdown attempts vs. Chicago.
With 132 rushing yards against Chicago, RB Dalvin Cook became the third Viking in team history to rush for over 1,400 yards in a season and passed Adrian Peterson’s 2009 season total (1,383) to move into fifth place in franchise history with 1,484 rushing yards. Peterson (2008, 2012, 2015) and Robert Smith (2000) are the only other Vikings to tally 1,400 rushing yards or more in a season.
Jefferson continues to shine:
WR Justin Jefferson set a franchise rookie record with 73 receptions, breaking the previous record of 69 set by Moss in 1998. With 1,182 receiving yards in 2020, Jefferson ranks seventh overall in NFL history among rookie receivers, passing Harlon Hill (1,124 in 1954), Bill Brooks (1,131 in 1986), Terry Glenn (1,132 in 1996), and Michael Thomas (1,137 in 2016). Jefferson’s 1,182 receiving yards also passed Hill (1,124 in 1954) for the fifth-most receiving yards by a rookie through 14 games. Jefferson became the fifth player in NFL history to record six 100-yard receiving games as a rookie, joining Billy Howton (six in 1952), Hill (seven in 1954), Odell Beckham Jr. (seven in 2014), and Bill Groman (nine in 1960).
Vikings’ Zimmer on last two weeks: ‘It’s more relieved than it is excited’
In the last two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings have not played very well. However, the previous two weeks have ended in wins, including Sunday’s 27-24 home victory over the Jaguars(1-11) in overtime. After starting 1-5, the Vikings have evened their record at 6-6 and now have moved into the NFC’s final wild-card spot(7th seed).
Last week, they were down by 11 points to the Panthers going into the fourth quarter and came back to defeat Carolina 28-27, and this week, they were down by 10 points to the Jaguars in the third quarter. Ultimately, the Vikings got the wins, but their head coach Mike Zimmer knows the team has to play better.
“Yeah, usually after you win a game, there’s a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ going on in the locker room, “Zimmer said. “The last two weeks, it hasn’t been like that because they know they can play way better than what they’re playing. I think right now they feel fortunate to be where we are, but they understand – I know they understand, and I’m trying to continue to preach it – that we have to stop doing these things that’s going to cost us games down the road.
“If we stop doing those things, and we continue to play with the heart and the fight and the things that we have, then we’ve got a chance to play. But the last two weeks, you come in the locker room, and it’s more relieved than it is excited. And that’s probably a good thing because I think they know where they’re at in this world right now.”
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, who threw for 305 yards with three touchdowns and one interception against the Jaguars on Sunday, is happy to get the win, but like Zimmer, knows the team needs to play better if they want to make the playoffs.
“We’ll enjoy the win tonight, but you also have to go back and look critically at every play just like you always do, think about how you can be better and how you can improve now as we enter the final four games of the regular season — the fourth quarter, if you will — we have to be at our best in the fourth quarter,” Cousins said. “We have some good teams we have to play, and we’re going to need our best football to have a shot to get into the playoffs. Proud of the fact that after starting 1-5, we’ve been able to get back to .500. As we said at the bye week, where those 10 games would tell the story of the season remaining, I think the remaining four games are really going to tell the story.”
At 6-6, Minnesota is in good position to make the playoffs. However, as Zimmer and Cousins said, the Vikings have to play better the rest of the way if they want to make the playoffs, and next week they travel to Tampa Bay to battle Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, which won’t be easy. But for now, if the season ended today, Minnesota would be in the playoffs, which is an accomplishment when you consider how the season started.
Vikings’ Cousins: ‘May not have been the prettiest game, but ultimately, getting a win is what matters’
On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings(5-6) struggled at times against the Carolina Panthers(4-8) Minnesota allowed two defensive touchdowns in the third quarter, including two fumble returns for a touchdown by Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn.
As they entered the fourth quarter, Minnesota trailed 21-10. After Justin Jefferson’s touchdown reception cut the lead to 24-21, Minnesota’s Chad Beebe would muff a punt that set up a Panthers’ field goal. However, Beebe would redeem himself with a game-winning 10-yard touchdown reception. Carolina would have one more chance, but kicker Joey Slye missed a 54-yard field goal, and the Vikings hold on to defeat the Panthers 28-27 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“At the end of the day, a lot of that was on me with those emotions,” Beebe said. “I’d had a dropped punt. It’s funny, though, because things didn’t really get down. I came to the sideline, and everybody was positive, and it’s just having that never-give-up attitude. Our entire team kind of felt that way. We had plenty of time to drive down and score, and that’s exactly what we did.”
While the Vikings did not play their best on Sunday, QB Kirk Cousins, who threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina, was happy with the team’s ability to get a win on Sunday.
“May not have been the prettiest game, but ultimately, getting a win is what matters,” Cousins said. “It was great to get one after having some really close losses that were a play away earlier in the year. Really encouraged by us finding a way to win despite us having so many plays we want to have back.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was excited to win, but he was not pleased with his team’s mistakes on Sunday.
“Obviously very pleased to win today,” Zimmer said. “We fought really hard. We made some mistakes – the two turnovers for touchdowns right in the third quarter was not a good thing. And the muffed punt there at the end of the ball game. But we came back – offensively, we came back and did a great job on the 2-minute drill, no timeouts went down and scored. It was nice to see [Chad] Beebe come back with the touchdown after muffing the punt.”
With the victory, the Vikings keep their playoffs hope alive. Minnesota is one game behind Arizona for the final wild-card spot in the NFC, so defeating the Panthers was big for this team.
Vikings’ Cousins: ‘Just a heartbreaking loss today’
The Minnesota Vikings have been hot over the past three weeks. After starting the season 1-4, Minnesota reeled off three straight victories, and it appeared the Vikings were moving in the right direction. However, Sunday’s result might have you questioning that.
With the struggling Cowboys in town, Minnesota had a chance to get to .500, but trailing 28-24 late in the fourth quarter, Cowboys QB Andy Dalton threw a two-yard touchdown pass to TE Dalton Schultz, and Dallas(3-7) would go onto defeat Minnesota(4-6) 31-28.
“I don’t think we played well enough to win today,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said after the game. “We had our opportunities, made too many mistakes. Had three fumbles in the first half, lost two. We had too many penalties. We weren’t good in the red zone on defense today. Obviously we can’t get the fourth-down play to win the game. We have to get back to work. We had a good week of practice but just didn’t play well enough; I don’t think.”
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, who threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, called the loss “heartbreaking.”
“Yeah, just a heartbreaking loss today,” Cousins said. “It was hard-fought, it was back and forth. It’s one of those games, and so many NFL games are like this, but one or two plays makes the difference in the end. You know that going in, and you feel that during the game, but we just didn’t come out on the right side of enough of those plays to win the game, obviously. Still, a lot of football to be played, but we have to bounce back quickly and get back on track. There are positives to point to, but ultimately when you don’t win, you leave the stadium feeling sick to your stomach.”
This is a game the Vikings had to win. If they get by Dallas, Minnesota would have been two games behind the Packers for the top spot in the NFC North after Green Bay fell to the Colts on Sunday.
Minnesota will be kicking themselves after this disappointing loss. There is still a decent amount of football left for the Vikings, but a loss like this is unacceptable for a team looking to make a run at the playoffs.
