Shortly before the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a 3-year contract I did a little research on the guy and realized that he and I were basically set to become BFFLs (best friends for life). I posted a blog at the time laying it all out for you with reasons spanning from his obsession with Lord of the Rings and his favorite band being Switchfoot serving as the evidence.
I just learned 4 things about Kirk Cousins & I'm convinced he's my new BFF!
By Aj Mansour
Well, now Kirk's back with an all new feature series called "NFL Life: Kirk Cousins" that debuted on Vikings.com last night and he's displaying a ton of more reasons why I just think this guy is the coolest and I don't care who knows it.
Seriously, check out the video for yourself and tell me how this guy isn't the most likable guy in the NFL. If you need a little help, here are five more reasons why he's the best...
He lives with his in-laws...
Even before inking a the big $84 million, fully-guaranteed contract with the Vikings Kirk Cousins had made $46.6 million dollars over his six seasons with the Washington Redskins. And still, the man lived in a converted "mother in-law suite" in the basement of his in-laws. How down to earth is that? Now he and his wife surely had a place of their own in DC during the season, but in the offseason he would move back in with her parents in Georgia.
He wants to "have a catch"...
Heeding advice from major league pitchers, Kirk throws the football every day to keep his arm loose and prevent stiffness at any point in time. During the off season, when he's living in his in-laws basement, he plays catch with his father in law.
He called the freaking AAA guy...
Again, watch the video for the context here, but after agreeing to the terms of his $84 million contract with the Vikings Kirk sat on the couch and tried calling his wife (who he has labeled as 'The Good Lady' in his phone, adorbs), his mom and his sister to share the news with them. When none of them answered, he decided to call the customer service guy at AAA that he had been chatting with the day before about getting an international driver's license. I repeat, THE FIRST PERSON HE TOLD ABOUT HIS RECORD SETTING DEAL WAS THE GUY AT AAA! How cool is that?
He wanted Minnesota...
You could tell from the get go, that after Washington traded for Alex Smith and bowed out of the free agency competition for Cousins, Minnesota was the top of his list. It got a little tougher to decide when the Jets offered a fully guaranteed $90 million deal, but after Minnesota tacked on an additional $9 million, he landed with the team that he wanted to play with from the get-go, and that was our team.
You can tell his family is his first thought...
All along the way with Kirk, you've been able to tell that the top priority in his life is his family. His wife, his son, his parents and his in-laws. He's a family man through and through. The celebrating, the sharing of good news, the trip to Minnesota with his parents, the videos and pics of his son, the wedding ring that he wears on the field during games...it all points back to his family and that's so stinking cool to me.
Again, I'll say it, this dude rocks.
Someday I hope to tell him in person, without weirding him out too much, how much I appreciate these decisions that he so publicly makes along the way. He's a cool dude and I for one am pulling for him here in Minnesota!