Kirk Cousins’ departure this summer was the culmination of the new Minnesota Vikings regime’s personnel overhaul, a move that shocked Adam Thielen. After being cut by the Vikings the previous season, Thielen entered the offseason with a clear perspective on the business side of the NFL. Even so, he believed Cousins would not abandon Minnesota despite having a terrific start to the 2023 season before rupturing his Achilles in Week 8. About Cousins’ exit, Thielen stated, “I didn’t expect it from an outside perspective because of how well he played last year and him coming into his own of being that leader,” during an episode of the Star Tribune’s “Access Vikings” podcast that aired May 8. “I felt like that was the first time in his career that he really put himself out there, played at a high level, and was himself.”The Vikings, fresh off an appearance in the NFC Championship game, had all their chips in for a championship run when Cousins arrived in Minnesota. With a young offense led by Pro Bowl players like Dalvin Cook, Kyle Rudolph, Stefon Diggs, and Thielen, they had the best defense in the league. The Vikings’ window was fading, though, and they had to split ways with a number of veterans in the 2020 offseason in order to keep Cousins around after they failed to win the NFC title the following two years. Over the course of the previous two years, the new administration finally pulled off the Band-Aid, dismissing well-known players like Eric Kendricks, Cook, and Thielen before calling it quits on the Cousins era this offseason. The Vikings, according to owner and president Mark Wilf, made a “serious offer” in 2024 to keep Cousins with the organization. However, the Atlanta Falcons prevailed in the bidding battle by proposing a four-year, $180 million contract that included a $100 million guarantee for the first two years. In his next contract, Cousins stressed that “structure,” or the level of security and guarantees included in the agreement, would be his first focus. However, Cousins’ decision to move on was partly influenced by the Vikings’ openness about selecting a rookie quarterback in the first round. Following the Falcons’ selection of Michael Penix Jr. ninth overall, he was doomed to that destiny in Atlanta. After everything has settled down, though, Thielen—a lifelong Vikings supporter before he was even a professional football player—said he appreciated the direction the new ownership had taken the franchise in its future. Thielen stated, “I think Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have done a great job of setting themselves up for the future and having a really specific vision.” They had a very clear idea of where they wanted to go even in my final year there.“I would have been all for that and would have loved to finish my time in Minnesota, but you can respect that they had a very clear vision,” Thielen continued.When Cousins signed with the Falcons, his club jumped to the top of the NFC South division, which is poor. This season, he will play twice against Thielen’s Carolina Panthers. The Dallas Cowboys will play the Falcons in Week 9, arranging a reunion between Cousins and Mike Zimmer, the former head coach of the Vikings who was hired to be the Cowboys defensive coordinator. The biggest game, though, might be the Vikings’ Week 14 home game against the Falcons, where Cousins might play against J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback the Vikings chose to replace him.
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