Vikings' Kirk Cousins already oozing confidence: 'I've come a long way in six weeks'
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minnesota -- Kirk Cousins may be just over two months into his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, but he's sure carrying himself like he's been in the Midwest a lot longer.
After another practice Wednesday morning during OTAs, the gem of 2018 NFL free agency joined his Vikings teammates at Friendly Hills Middle School for a Team Up To Give Back community event, where players led dozens of students through exercise drills in between pictures and autographs. And it was Cousins, a man who's yet to throw a single regular-season pass for the organization that gave him $84 million guaranteed in March, who most commanded the gymnasium's attention.
When star wide receiver Stefon Diggs showed his face in the latter portion of the event, it was clear he had a greater fondness for entertaining the crowd. He even poked his head among reporters during Cousins' press conference in the gym.
But Cousins, perhaps partially because he's set to become the seventh quarterback to start for the Vikings since 2014, was the one everyone wanted to see. And if he's feeling pressure to perform, his attitude in Mendota Heights didn't show it. Instead, it echoed the kind of nonchalant friendliness -- the cool composure -- often found in all three of the Vikings' 2017 quarterbacks and it was perfectly representative of the stereotypical Minnesotan.
Kirk Cousins poses with a flock of Vikings fans at Friendly Hills Middle School in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Cody Benjamin
Chalk it up to Cousins having already spent six years in the NFL, but the 29-year-old former Washington Redskins signal-caller told the media Wednesday that his transition to purple has been more about feeling right at home.
"There's never been any doubt for me," he said about his move to Minnesota.
And after just a couple of Vikings practices under his belt? He's already feeling comfortable leading the team for new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo -- and not only because he didn't fire a single incomplete pass when tossing the rock to middle-schoolers at Friendly Hills. While he admitted he still has work to do, Cousins told the media with a wide smile that he's "come a long ways in about six weeks," that he's confident to do whatever DeFilippo wants and that "every day we're out here, we take another step."
When asked by reporters what he thinks of the Vikings adding him with a Super Bowl-caliber roster already in place, Cousins calmly redirected the discussion, churning out a commitment to focusing on OTAs. But he also wasn't fazed by the thought. He knows the bar is high, and he knows Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who's amplified his QB hunt in recent years, would probably agree. He just doesn't seem worried about it.
Only this fall, as Cousins put it, will anyone truly see whether the current confidence will pay off -- whether his Wednesday aura was the product of the moment, an afternoon spent frolicking with young Vikings faithful, or whether it was, in fact, an indication of the quarterback to come.