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By TJ Macias
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Let us be frank: The moment the world heard that Kirk Cousins would be returning to the Minnesota Vikings mere hours before Tuesday’s trade deadline, there was a sigh of relief from fans that was so loud, it broke the sound barrier.
So, naturally, insiders and professionals alike are weighing in about how the rest of the Vikings season can look with Cousins back in the driver’s seat, including NFL senior insider Ian Rapoport.
“I feel like if they can just play like, average offense, and they should be better than that, but if they can play average offense, this becomes one of the best teams in the NFL because their defense is so good,” Rapoport said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday when asked how big Cousins’ first game back against the Green Bay Packers will be.
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“And that’s what I kind of liked about this move for the Vikings is they clearly feel like because their defense is so good, we have an opportunity, we have to seize it. Whatever it costs, like, whatever happens, it’s like get a viable quarterback and just get this thing rolling. You know, they now get a boost for the second half of the year.
“I think Cousins is going to hit the ground running. It’s an incredible opportunity to bring back someone who has been in the system, who they loved, who is playing really good football at 38-years-old like, this is an excellent situation for the Minnesota Vikings.”
What makes a huge difference is Minnesota is where Cousins wants to be and where his teammates and coaches want him to be. Especially receiver Justin Jefferson, who said that welcoming Cousins back was a “joy.”
“He just understands the game,” Jefferson said, ESPN reported. “He’s a guy that studies the game a lot. He understands how the defenses play, especially covering me. And he understands, the plays that we have called that are kind of my plays and he understands the timing and the windows to throws those type of plays, but he also doesn’t force those type of plays to me and he just lets the game come to me.”
He also pointed out how Cousins just immediately took charge from day one of returning to his former team.
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"He's being vocal," Jefferson continued. "Just making sure that everybody hears the plays that he's talking about and the notes that he has for certain routes, certain plays. And he's just making sure that everybody's on the same page. So it's definitely cool to hear that type of leadership and command. If you know Kirk, that's pretty normal from him. So it's definitely kind of cool him being back in that room and him taking control."
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