Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins revealed that he entertained concerns about his Achilles injury potentially ending his football career. Speaking as a guest on The Adam Schefter Podcast on Tuesday, Cousins shared, “One thought went through my head, ‘Will I ever play football again?’ You know, I’m an older guy, free agent, is there a market? I didn’t know. I believe I will, and I believe it will be there, but you wonder.”
The 35-year-old quarterback suffered an Achilles tear during the Vikings’ Week 8 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Despite the team’s challenging start, Cousins was having what some consider the best season of his career before the injury, amassing 2,331 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and just five interceptions with a completion rate of 69.5%.
RELATED: Kirk Cousins Has Telling Answer When Asked If He’ll Finish Career With Vikings
His wife, Julie, remains hopeful that Cousins can return to the field if the Vikings make it to the Super Bowl. The 12-year veteran, who had never missed a game due to injury in his career, found the adjustment to missing games during the season challenging.
“It just kind of hit me that, even in the short term, this was going to be very, very different for the last eight, nine weeks of the regular season,” said Cousins. He expressed the difficulty of not traveling for away games, feeling out of place despite being in the right spot.
Since Cousins’ season-ending injury, Minnesota has maintained a 3-3 record, staying in the NFC playoff race with three games remaining. Cousins described his recovery as a “gradual process,” focusing on restoring motion and improving daily quality of life. He also expressed his hope to be “back on the sidelines for a game here soon.”
Unlike the highly publicized return of New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Cousins’ return timeline remains unspecified. While the idea of Cousins playing again this season would be an incredible narrative, the likelihood of it happening is currently deemed wishful thinking.
