Heading into his first campaign with the Minnesota Vikings after inking a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal, Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins has plenty of high expectations on the table ahead of him.
With that in mind, one of his former Washington Redskins teammates tight end Chris Cooley stated that Cousins has the personal drive to be a leader but needs to learn the ins and outs of the responsibility to get the most out of himself and his teammates, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com.
“Kirk's had a desire to be a leader,” Cooley said. “If he wants to truly lead a football team, he's gonna have to learn how to open himself up as a dude to other people — to get them to completely trust him. I think that was one of the issues with the Redskins. He was hard to get to know completely as a guy. Being able to self-deprecate and showing vulnerability was something Kirk didn't do often. I think to foster good, healthy relationships as a leader, you need that. Kirk has always been very careful.”
This is a fresh new slate for Cousins to prove that he can fulfill that role with Minnesota where he is stepping into a prominent spot as the centerpiece of a team that has high aspirations. He is joining a franchise that is coming off a highly successful campaign winning the NFC North division title while reaching the NFC Championship for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Vikings are hoping that he can be the missing piece that lifts them over the top toward contending for the Super Bowl. He has shown through his career that he's a talented quarterback that can lead a team to the playoffs. This an entirely different situation for him that presents a whole new set of challenges.
Simply put, Cousins has in front of him a new opportunity to establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league while leading the team to compete for a Super Bowl this upcoming season.
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