OTAs each year give teams around the NFL the opportunity to try some new things as they prepare for a new season. During this year's OTAs, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins seems to be testing out a new helmet.
During Monday's OTA session at Minnesota's TCO Performance Center, Cousins was seen sporting some new headwear that may or may not be permanent.
New helmet for QB1... 🔥 or 👎? pic.twitter.com/JpMBOxeG9Z
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) May 22, 2023
Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins testing out a new innovative helmet
Judging from a video the Vikings posted, it seems like Cousins wore his new helmet for the individual drills portion of Minnesota's OTA session on Monday, and then he switched back to his old helmet for some team drills.
Our championship pursuit starts here.#Skol pic.twitter.com/pwl9sjkRxH
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 23, 2023
The new helmet that the Vikings quarterback was wearing on Monday looks like it is the Riddell Axiom, a helmet that is supposed to be extremely customizable for each specific player, and it also allows for a larger amount of visibility than most helmets allowed in the NFL today offer.
Due to its precise customization, the Riddell Axiom helmet is also supposed to provide players with greater protection against head injuries. Cousins is not someone that typically misses time due to an injury, but this helmet is something that could help increase his chances of avoiding the injury report as much as possible during the 2023 season.
For the first time since the SpeedFlex in 2014, Riddell has officially introduced a new football helmet:
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 5, 2022
The Axiom 🏈
➖ Factory-installed visor
➖ New elliptical facemask
➖ First-ever standard impact response system
Select college teams will use the Axiom in Spring 2022. pic.twitter.com/GC40Sr1nmn
Will Cousins end up sticking with this new helmet for the upcoming season, or will he just go back to the headwear that he's used during the last few years?