Kirk Cousins opens up on how Aaron Rodgers helped him during Achilles injury rehab
Kirk Cousins did not get a happy ending to his stint with the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 8 of the 2023 season, he played his last game for the Vikes against the eternal foe Green Bay Packers as he tore his Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter.
But luckily for him, he knew someone he could approach: former archrival Aaron Rodgers, who had torn his own Achilles in his New York Jets debut that same season. The day before his surgery, Cousins spoke with the multiple-time MVP over the phone.
He recalled their interaction on Tuesday's episode of The Rich Eisen Show (1:14 to begin):
"I was basically able to ask him, you know, what have the first eight weeks been like? What do you recommend from a modality standpoint? What should I be doing with my time? How should I be spending my time? Very helpful conversation."
But that would eventually not be their only time conversing:
"And then he checked back in in December, right about when he was trying to hit the practice field again. He checked back in just to see how I was doing."
Cousins also highlighted how several of his Falcons teammates have suffered similar Achilles injuries and have made successful recoveries. That gave him hope that he too would be able to come back strong.
Kirk Cousins discusses mentoring Falcons rookie QB Michael Penix Jr.
Meanwhile, the dynamic between Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. stands as one of the more intriguing points of discussion heading into the 2024 NFL season.
When the Atlanta Falcons drafted the former Washington Husky eighth overall, their $180-million free-agency signing was reported to have been completely uninformed about the move. This led to fears of a very bitter quarterback controversy that would result in the departure of one or the other.
But some four months later, they appear to have subsided, likely because Kirk Cousins has taken to instead peaceably mentoring his presumed successor. In that same interview, he said (3:23 to begin):
"I think his message to me was, 'Hey, we would like to think that we're not going to be picking very high in the years to come... so we need to get ahead of it. (But) nothing changes for you; just go to work and do your job.'"
He continued (go to 5:03):
"We both know that (Penix's) NFL career is a marathon, not a sprint. Mike's been through a lot in his six years (in college)... so we both know that this journey takes a lot, and you just take things one at a time."
Kirk Cousins and the Falcons conclude their preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday. They will then face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 on Sept. 8.