Lil’ Kirk in Chains has Zoom call with Vikings’ Kirk Cousins, will return to U.S. Bank Stadium

Chris Tomasson, Pioneer Press
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Lil’ Kirk in Chains will be returning to U.S. Bank Stadium.

For Sunday’s game against the New York Jets at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings will leave tickets for Lincoln Gustafson and his family. Gustafson, who turns 8 on Sunday, is the kid who captivated fans at the Nov. 24 game against New England by dancing around shirtless while wearing chains around his neck.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has done the same on team flights after wins this season, including a shirtless performance after a Nov. 6 victory at Washington. After seeing Gustafson on the videoboard during the game against the Patriots, Cousins said he wanted to bring the kid back to U.S. Bank Stadium as a “team mascot.”

On Thursday night, Hether Gustafson, Lincoln’s mother, said the quarterback had a Zoom call with him that lasted about 15 minutes. On the call, it was revealed that the Vikings would be leaving tickets for Lincoln, his mother and his father, Derek Gustafson, who live in Denver, Iowa.

“I think he was star struck,’” Hether Gustafson said. “I don’t think he thought it was actually happening.”

She said Cousins told Lincoln that “all the guys on the team loved” seeing him on he videoboard, and that he had a lot of questions for the youngster. Cousins asked him about how it started with wearing chains and he wished him a happy birthday. The quarterback liked hearing that Lincoln is turning 8 because that is his uniform number.

Hether Gustafson said the hope is that Lincoln gets to meet Cousins at Sunday’s game. Both of Lincoln’s parents figure it will be quite a birthday for him.

“It will be a letdown every year from now on,” Derek Gustafson joked.

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