The Minnesota Vikings were dealt a shocking blow ahead of Sunday's NFL preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the contest, per the team's Twitter account.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced the news. Kirk Cousins had reportedly been feeling sick and was sent home from Thursday morning's practice. At the time, the illness was unspecified.

It's not clear whether Cousins was slated to start in the team's NFL preseason opener. Fortunately, O'Connell told reporters that the Vikings quarterback has “minimal symptoms” and will be able to return to training camp as early as Tuesday, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

As of last year, Cousins was unvaccinated. This is the second time he's tested positive for COVID-19, with the first test coming in December of last year ahead of a game against the division-rival Green Bay Packers.

That was also the first game that the Vikings veteran had missed since the 2019 campaign. Kirk Cousins, 33, has been excellent for Minnesota in each of the last two seasons, firing 33-plus touchdowns while throwing for over 4200 yards in each year. He signed a one-year, $35 million contract extension back in March.

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Now, he'll have O'Connell, who coaxed one of the best seasons out of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021, in his ear.

It certainly would have been interesting to see if Cousins would have played in the first preseason game, given that he is learning a new offense.

Even though it's the preseason, the Vikings are fortunate that Kirk Cousins won't be sidelined for longer.