What Falcons' Kirk Cousins learned from others who suffered Achilles injuries

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers confirmed this past fall that he reached out to current Atlanta Falcons signal-caller Kirk Cousins regarding the torn Achilles injuries the two veterans suffered during the 2023 season.

While chatting with Scott Thompson of Fox News Digital, Cousins revealed he's spoken to others who dealt with similar setbacks.

"I like talking to people who are four, five, six years removed from an Achilles tear," Cousins explained. "When I looked up people who’d torn one, it’s more common than I’d realized – among the NBA, among former quarterbacks. Athletes in general, and guys who went on to have success post-Achilles tear. So, it was encouraging to see the careers people have had before and after an Achilles tear."

Cousins tore his Achilles while featuring for the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 29, but received a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed to join Atlanta in March. 

The four-time Pro Bowl selection who turns 36 years old this August is committed to starting the club's regular-season opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 8 but acknowledged he may not be 100 percent for that matchup.

"They said that you don’t really feel back to yourself until 12 months, but you can be back on the field sooner than that," Cousins told Thompson. "I had hoped to be back sooner than nine months but wasn’t sure. At (organized team activities), we had these practices, and when I first got injured, they said, 'You’ll sit out of those practices, but training camp you’ll be good to go.'"

Cousins participated in OTAs and during minicamp practices but not at full speed. He'll have to push himself once training-camp sessions open next month to be ready to face a menacing Pittsburgh defense that won't take it easy on the signal-caller regardless of his health.

"So, it’s been this dance of trying to figure out, am I pushing it enough where I’m asking my body to take that next step in the healing process? But am I pushing too hard, also, and trying to go up against that line and not cross it? That really is the definition of good quality rehab, so I’ve been trying to find that since day one," Cousins added.

Cousins won't publicly admit it, but logic suggests he picked up some extra motivation to return to full fitness as soon as possible after Atlanta surprisingly made quarterback Michael Penix Jr. the eighth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25. 

Some believe the Falcons could replace Cousins atop their depth chart with Penix as soon as next offseason, but Cousins will look to silence such talk between the second Sunday of September and February 2025.