Caleb Harris
In what would be his final year with the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins’ 2023 season was cut short due to an Achilles injury suffered in Week 8. Even though he will be 36 years old before the start of the 2024 season and having torn his Achilles tendon six months ago, Cousins has been one of the best free agent quarterbacks this offseason.
He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons, who whipped out their checkbook to sign him to a four-year, $180 million contract. Since signing the most lucrative free agent contract, Cousins’ recovery has progressed and the team is noticing positive improvements.
Last week, Cousins was playing during the team’s offseason program, which showed that his recovery is at full steam. Falcons coach Raheem Morris commented on Cousins’ status and how much of the program he can be a part of.
“Kirk is getting better every day”, Morris said Friday at his press conference. “[With] no one near him, there’s no contact – he’s good with all that kind of stuff. He’s been doing all these things, he’s playing, he’s out there pretty much full steam ahead.”
Morris says Cousins could participate in most of Phase 2 of the offseason program. Phase 2 lasts three weeks and has no live contact or “team offense versus team defense drills.” Includes on-field training, drills and guidance from offensive and defensive players aligned with each other.
The head coach admitted they are still being cautious and noted that these workouts suit Cousins’ recovery status well.
“Right now, we get him on a limited basis, obviously because he’s still in rehab and treatment and all that kind of stuff. But he will do a lot of things when we get back because we still won’t have a lot of people in our pockets. Most things are racing, as you know from offseason programs now,” Morris said. “So he’s all in on that kind of thing.
“We’re going to limit what he does in terms of quantity, not necessarily what he’s doing when it comes to what we’re doing and what we’re capable of doing right now. about people being close to their feet, because the rhythm is so [much] slower that we feel really good about where he is now.”
Cousins says he will be “full speed ahead” when training camp begins and team activities ramp up. If he’s not ready or can’t stay healthy, the Falcons have guaranteed quarterback insurance. Atlanta surprisingly drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, saying he wanted security for the future.
While not the obvious move, getting a top-10 backup for an aging quarterback recovering from an Achilles injury It might end up being worth it.
