Vikings reveal reason for the absence of Kirk Cousins on Thursday

After Kirk Cousins was sent home on Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings announced on Friday that the quarterback has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Heading into their first matchup of the 2022 preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t expected to play too many of their projected starters. Well, thanks to testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, we already know that quarterback Kirk Cousins will be among the Vikings players that won’t be participating in Sunday’s exhibition contest.

Cousins was sent home early on Thursday with what Minnesota described as an undisclosed illness. Now we know that the quarterback was dealing with symptoms of the virus.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed that Cousins is currently experiencing minimal symptoms and he will be away from the team until at least Tuesday.

Kirk Cousins testing positive for COVID-19 should be a wake-up call for the Minnesota Vikings

Since the start of Minnesota’s training camp this summer, one of the biggest storylines has had to do with the quarterback situation behind Cousins.

Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion are currently fighting to be the No. 2 signal-caller this year, but neither has really done enough in camp to be a convincing choice as the team’s top backup.

With Cousins out, we should get an extensive look at both Mond and Mannion on Sunday against Las Vegas. Still, the Vikings should be keeping an eye on some other options outside of their own locker room to be their No. 2 quarterback for the regular season.

The Vikings should also be extremely thankful that Cousins‘ positive diagnosis has happened in the preseason and not during the regular season when it could potentially cost them a much-needed victory.

Moving forward, Minnesota should take the quarterback’s positive test as a sign that finding a better No. 2 signal-caller before the regular season needs to be a high priority.