The Minnesota Vikings put pressure on Kirk Cousins for much of their 42-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14. Cousins was sacked once, hit 4 times, and threw 2 interceptions in the loss, Atlanta’s fourth straight.
Cousins and the Vikings parted ways during the 2024 offseason. The organization wanted to draft his successor and would not meet his contract expectations.
Asked if he felt validated for letting Cousins leave, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was brief.
“No,” O’Connell responded with a grin at the podium during his postgame press conference on December 8.
Cousins completed 62.2% of his passes for 344 yards on the day. But, true to form, the Vikings’ defense kept the Falcons out of the endzone through the air. They allowed Atlanta’s only touchdowns to come on the ground.
The former Vikings duo met at midfield postgame. O’Connell revealed what his postgame message was to Cousins, a notable moment given the coach’s growing reputation and Cousins’ recent struggles.
“I just told him there’s very few days that I get to be the coach of not only this team, but just a coach in general,” O’Connell said of his message to Cousins. “With my journey early on around Kirk, and then the two years we had together here, I just told him I’m so thankful for our time that I had coaching him as a position coach, and then, obviously, as the head coach when I got here coming up on three years ago.
“I love him. I love him as a person, I think he’s a great human being, great father, great husband. He’s – he stands for so many great things that I always really valued, and I’m proud of the way he’s transitioned down to a new place this year. And he’s had a lot of success, and I think he’s going to continue to do so.”
“That’s a talented team with a good quarterback and a great coaching staff who, a bunch of them, that I respect a ton in this league. So, yeah, it was great to see him I didn’t get a chance to see him pregame, so I wanted to make sure I got a chance to see him after there.”
Cousins has only said positive things about the Vikings since leaving, including about their handling of the negotiation process.
Notably, he finds his job security back in question amid a slump for himself and the team.
Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract with $90 million fully guaranteed with the Falcons in free agency, has gone four games in a row without passing for a touchdown.
He did get a vote of confidence from Falcons head coach Raheem Morris after the game. This comes amid fans’ calls for rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. to take the QB’s place.
Vikings Players Show Love to Kirk Cousins Postgame
Vikings fans greeted their former franchise quarterback, Cousins, with raucous boos at the game’s start. Not only did Cousins’ deal with the Falcons lead to an investigation, but it also left the Vikings to foot a significant bill.
His $28.5 million dead cap hit in 2024 is the result of void years on his previous contract. He has the largest single hit on the Vikings’ books.
Despite all of that, his former Vikings teammates rushed to greet him after the contest.
The win was the Vikings’ 11th. They have their best record through 13 games since the 2009 season. They went to the NFC Championship Game that season but lost to the New Orleans Saints.
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