Kirk Cousins will almost certainly remain the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback for at least the 2021 season, but the team drafted Kellen Mond in the third round in hopes that he will take over at some point in the future. Cousins plans to help his new teammate prepare for that day.
Cousins said this week that he is willing to mentor Mond and Minnesota’s other young quarterbacks. His outlook on the team drafting a quarterback on Day 2 is one that would not be shared by all starters across the NFL.
“You’re an open book, you’re helpful and you’re there and make yourself available,” Cousins said, via the Vikings’ official website.
The Vikings owe Cousins a total of $56 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, so his job is probably safe for at least that long. The 32-year-old was kept in the loop about the team’s plans to potentially draft a quarterback, which is something he appreciated.
It is fair to assume that the Vikings may intend to move on from Cousins when his current contract expires. He’ll be 34 at that point, and they reportedly tried to trade up in the first round this year to take one of the top QBs in the draft. Cousins could easily take the attitude of “I’m not going to help you become good enough to steal my job,” but it doesn’t sound like he plans to go that route.
More must-reads: