Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell says Kirk Cousins' Achilles injury updates are 'shocking'
Kirk Cousins recently put out a video of him dropping back as he returns from the Achilles injury he suffered last year and it looks like his recovery is going just fine. Make no mistake: Achilles injuries are one of the worst injuries an athlete can endure. It's a long, arduous road to recovery and […]
Kirk Cousins recently put out a video of him dropping back as he returns from the Achilles injury he suffered last year and it looks like his recovery is going just fine.
Make no mistake: Achilles injuries are one of the worst injuries an athlete can endure. It's a long, arduous road to recovery and there's a good chance players don't return to their prior form – or don't return, at all.
The video shouldn't be that much of a surprise considering Cousins is an NFL player who receives the best treatment in the world, but at the same time, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wasn't surprised because of the weekly updates he'd been receiving before the video's release.
"I've been in contact with him pretty much weekly since the offseason really began… [and] every check in that I get, either from the medical side or from Kirk himself, is always pretty shocking as far as how far along he is, already," O'Connell told reporters at the 2024 NFL Combine. "I know he works extensively daily on all the different aspects.
"But I was not surprised to see that video, based upon my dialogue with him and where I see him going here in the near term future; as far as the next phases of getting him back to 100%."
This is obviously big for Cousins' future with the Vikings
Cousins was having an excellent season before the Achilles injury and his supporting cast returns in 2024, even if star tight end T.J. Hockenson is recovering from his own season-ending injury. If the Vikings can make some improvements along the offensive line, the offense can easily become one of the NFL's best.
At this rate, Cousins should be back for mandatory minicamp, at the latest. Especially if he's hitting the recovery routine as hard as O'Connell states.
The recovery was obviously going to play a role in contract negotiations, but that looks like a moot point. Sure, the Vikings need to do their due diligence and make shrewd decisions, but I wouldn't be too worried about it unless an official medical update/diagnosis says otherwise.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gives an update, as well
"[We're in a] great place," Mensah told reporters. "Kirk is obviously, again, another person we've had these these dialogues with over the past couple of seasons. [I] had a great conversation with him a few days ago… At the end of the day, it's we have our interests, [and] he has his, and we get to the table and see if we can figure out how to create a solution and how to meet in the middle…
"…. What we do know is we have a really great quarterback, a great leader, and somebody that we think we can win the ultimate prize [with]. And so that's ultimately what I focus on. And that's where we're at right now."
It sounds like things are trending in the right direction and signing Cousins before his contract voids would also give the team a $28.5 million boost heading into free agency. So, as Cousins gets healthier and we get closer to free agency, it seems more and more likely he'll be back in purple and gold in 2024.
