The Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 season took a massive hit on Sunday when quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending torn Achilles.
Cousins suffered the non-contact injury in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 24-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers. After the game, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team feared that the 35-year-old signal-caller had suffered an Achilles injury, a diagnosis that ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported as confirmed.
Prior to Sunday’s injury, Cousins had been enjoying a strong 2023 campaign. In seven games, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback had completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 2,057 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Despite losing its first three games of the season, Minnesota has since won four of its past five contests and sits in second place in the NFC North at 4-4.
After Cousins exited Sunday’s game, the Vikings turned to rookie quarterback Jaren Hall. The 2023 fifth-round pick out of BYU completed three of his four pass attempts for 23 yards.
With veteran quarterback Nick Mullens currently on injured reserve until at least Week 10 with a back injury, Minnesota will have to make a move at quarterback and could turn to the trade market ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. It will also be interesting to see how Cousins’ injury affects his future in Minnesota, as the Michigan State product was in the final year of his contract with the Vikings.
Following the news of Cousins’ injury, many took to social media to weigh in.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.