Quay Walker was on Lambeau Field when Kirk Cousins crumpled on its natural grass on Oct. 29, 2023, rupturing his right Achilles tendon. Almost three years later as rivals-turned-teammates with the Las Vegas Raiders as standout free-agent signees, they’ve talked about that fateful day.
“I just think its full circle,” Walker said Wednesday morning, formerly a Green Bay Packers linebacker, of reuniting in Las Vegas with the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback. “That’s the type of injury that can challenge you mentally. So it’s not easy to come back from. But he’s done all the right things to be back to who he is.”
Walker would know.
Cousins capped mandatory minicamp as the likely-soon-to-be starting quaterback for the Raiders, with whom he signed a contract that guarantees him $20 million in 2026. He handled the bulk of the first-team reps, save for those at the end of Wednesday’s practice when he watched from the Intermountain Performance Health Center sideline as Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell ended the offseason program behind center.
Turning 38 in August, Cousins said he feels healthier and looks the part to those who know him, former ally or opponent alike. As Raiders wideout and former Vikings teammate Jalen Nailor added Wednesday morning: “Kirk is the same guy he was four years ago. He still has those dad jokes that he loves to bring and just the energy that he brings to the team when guys are making plays, he’s the first one celebrating and being happy for us to go out there and make plays.”
Age, attrition and the aftermath of the torn Achilles affected Cousins the last two years with the Atlanta Falcons, for whom he started 22 games. Among the NFL’s most productive passers throughout his tenure with the Vikings, his completion percentage dipped with the Falcons (67.9% with Minnesota, 65% with Atlanta) along with his touchdown pass percentage (5.6% to 3.9%).
Meanwhile, his interception rate increased (1.8% to 2.9%) amid a dearth in mobility.
“I did not move well that night,” Cousins joked Tuesday after practice when a reporter mentioned a 2024 matchup with the Raiders, a 15-9 win for Cousins, accented with 112 passing yards at Allegiant Stadium.
As for how he feels so far this year, the 15th-year quaterback explained, “I definitely think every day, week, month, there’s been progress since I first tore my Achilles, and it’s been a progression. And I just keep learning more, keep getting better. And so, in that sense I do feel healthier now than I did then and I’m optimistic that that’ll help me on the field. But we’ll see where it goes.”
Signed as a stopgap — and an accomplished one at that, ranking fifth among active quarterbacks in touchdown passes (298) and sixth in yards (44,700) with four Pro Bowl nods to his name — to precede what the Raiders want to be a long tenure with Mendoza, Cousins made clear he’s not just a mentor to the No. 1 overall draft pick or O’Connell. He called that notion a “narrative more than it is a truth” and insisted they’ve plenty to teach him, too.
Never mind that he’s the elder statesman 15 years Mendoza’s senior and 10 years O’Connell’s.
“They’re pretty good players and pretty experienced, and I’m learning a lot from them too and asking questions of them,” Cousins said. “It’s always been a working force together in the quarterback room, and that’s what it is. Nobody’s leading more than someone else. I think we’re all just kind of a working force together, helping each other, giving feedback, giving perspective, giving another set of eyes, and I’ve always felt I prepare my best during the season when we can all kind of be together in that room in the evening, going over things together rather than working in our own silos.”
Cousins can value collaboration and his place atop the pecking order, knowing another NFL contract is contingent upon how well he plays. He came to Las Vegas for a chance to start, his health and positive attitude intact for all to draw from as long as he’s here.
He’s glad he’s with the Raiders, and so are they.
“I came here because I felt good about it at the time,” Cousins said. “Two months in, I still feel good about it, but the fall is what kind of creates whether it was the right decision or not. So, it’s all up ahead for us, but I’ve enjoyed working with the guys, I’ve enjoyed getting out there each day and putting the work in, and we’ll see where it leads, one day at a time.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
