Scrolling through Julie Cousins’ Instagram this week was a heartbreaking experience. The wife of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins shared the emotional aftermath of the 35-year-old’s season-ending Achilles tendon tear suffered Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. On Monday, dozens of cards made out of construction paper were stacked up on their kitchen counter. Their sons’ classmates scribbled with crayons the words “feel better” along with drawings of rainbows, hearts and clouds.
No card posted had the words Vikings or SKOL. Yes, Cousins is the quarterback of the Vikings and one of the most famous people in the state, but he’s also just Turner and Cooper’s dad. The next day, Julie posted a picture from their patient room at the Twin Cities Orthopedic office where Cousins was getting his surgery. The window faced a player meeting room at the Vikings facility, which is less than 30 yards away. They could clearly see Cousins’ teammates sitting in chairs, looking at a big screen with film of the Falcons as they prepared for their game against Atlanta. Cousins wasn’t technically with the team, but he was close by.
Cousins is out for the season and will be a free agent in 2024. Though his future is unclear, conversations I’ve had with sources over the…