Adam Thielen Was Surprised by Kirk Cousins’ Decision to Leave Minnesota
For about a decade, Adam Thielen was one of the more beloved Minnesota Vikings on the roster.
The Detroit Lakes native spent his collegiate years at Minnesota State in Mankato, and then, he signed a contract with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. Then, last spring, Thielen decided it was finally time to play football outside of the state of Minnesota when he signed a new deal with the Carolina Panthers.
A year later, the man who threw Thielen the ball for five of his 10 seasons in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins, made a very similar move, leaving the Vikings to take a larger contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Following Cousins’ decision to leave Minnesota, Thielen expressed some surprise with Cousins’ choice.
Adam Thielen Speaks on Kirk Cousins’ Departure from Vikings
“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,” Thielen said of Cousins’ departure during a recent episode of the Star Tribune’s “Access Vikings” podcast. “That’s the first time I felt like in his career that he’s really truly been out there, been himself and played at a high level.”
The last bit of this quote is a little interesting from Thielen. It is almost as if the wide receiver is suggesting that Cousins had never played at as high of a level before the 2023 season. Perhaps that isn’t what Thielen truly meant, but if it is, it’s a fair argument.
Before his injury in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, Cousins very reasonably could have been in the MVP conversation, assuming Minnesota found a way to make it into the playoffs if the veteran QB never tore his Achilles.
After a dreadful 1-4 start to the season for Minnesota, Cousins led the Vikings to three consecutive victories on the road against the Chicago Bears, at home against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, and a road victory against the Green Bay Packers, all without the help of star receiver Justin Jefferson.
In total, Cousins threw for 2331 yards, 18 TDs, and five interceptions in his eight starts for the Vikings last season. His 291.4 passing yards per game was the second-highest of his career, behind only the 2016 season when he was still playing in Washington and averaged 307.3 yards per game.
Cousins isn’t going to be playing for Kevin O’Connell anymore, but it isn’t as if he is entering a dreadful situation in Atlanta. The Falcons offense is loaded with playmakers because of how many draft picks the franchise has used on skill players over recent years (TE Kyle Pitts, WR Drake London, and RB Bijan Robinson).
Cousins and Thielen will face off twice during the 2024 season in Weeks 6 and 18.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
