Former Vikings coach thinks Kirk Cousins can lead team to Super Bowl
By Adam Patrick
When the Minnesota Vikings decided to sign free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2018, the general feeling was that he would be the final piece to help get the franchise to the Super Bowl.
But three seasons later, the Vikings and Cousins have only earned a single playoff victory during his tenure with the team. Minnesota has paid the quarterback a total of $94 million since 2018 and they certainly haven’t been able to get a return on their investment yet.
Despite the recent rumors of other teams potentially having interest in trading for Cousins, he still has two years left on his contract with the Vikings, and the goal of getting to the Super Bowl remains the same.
Former Minnesota Vikings head coach shares his thoughts on Kirk Cousins
One of the last times Minnesota came close to reaching the Super Bowl was back during the 2009 season when Brad Childress was the team’s head coach. Childress was in charge of a Vikings team whose roster featured several Hall of Fame-caliber players, including Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Steve Hutchinson, and Jared Allen.
The former Minnesota head coach recently appeared on the “StribSports Daily Delivery” podcast and he was asked if he believed Cousins could be the guy to lead his old team to the Super Bowl.
"“I think he can. [Cousins] had to be one of the top-10, top-five quarterbacks [this season]. I don’t think there’s any reason he can’t. He’s got a good runner behind him. [The Vikings] probably need to add a little more skill at wide receiver. I know the tight position is in flux. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to protect that guy too so he can do the things he wants to do.”"
During his coaching career, Childress has worked with a number of very talented quarterbacks, including Favre, Donovan McNabb, and Patrick Mahomes. So he’s definitely aware of what it takes for a passer to be great.
Some Vikings fans might dislike Childress from his tenure with the team, but what he said about Cousins is significant. He easily could have gone with the national narrative that Cousins will never lead a team to anything worth remembering, but he didn’t.
Instead, Childress’ thoughts about the Minnesota quarterback should maybe help people get a better understanding of why the team has stuck with the veteran signal-caller for the last three years and why they appear to be moving forward with him into next season.