Patrick Peterson defends Kirk Cousins and suggests Vikings next coach

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Count Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson among the people that still believe in Kirk Cousins at quarterback. When directly asked the question, during an appearance on All Things Covered, Peterson gave his thoughts on Cousins as a leader.

“I would love to see Kirk finish it up here,” said Peterson. “I think he has a great rapport with Adam [Thielen] and with Justin [Jefferson], getting better with him each and every week, having the opportunity to be the fastest receiver in two years with that many [receiving] yards. Obviously, Kirk was a big part of that. I just think Kirk is a great leader, poised player, never really under duress in games. I just think he’s very, very chill. He’s Captain Kirk for sure.”

Cousins stuffed the stat sheet in 2021 with 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. And yet, he still has an army of non-believers at his back. He even finished the season ranked at No. 13 in NFL.com’s QB Index rankings.

It’ll be interesting to see what the new head coach and general manager ultimately decide to do with Cousins’ contract, which is set to expire in 2023 after a whopping $45 million cap hit in 2022.

Peterson was also asked about the head coaching vacancy in Minnesota and who he’d like to see fill that role. The legendary defensive back had two names ready at the go—one an offensive-minded coach and the other a defensive-minded one.

“I would love to see Lefty [Byron Leftwich] get a good coaching opportunity. If they want to go defense again, I would love to see coach [Todd] Bowles,” said Peterson. “With the history of Minnesota, they always tend to pick defensive-minded coaches. If they want to go that route, I think Bowles would be a great pick—just not only what he was able to do over the last two seasons but his resume as far as defense in general. It speaks very highly. …I know they have Doug Pederson on the lookout. I think he’ll be a good head coach as well.”

The Vikings are hoping to conclude their search for a new general manager before eventually deciding on a head coach.

Peterson arrived in Minnesota on a one-year deal in 2021. So it remains to be seen if he’ll be extended to a new a contract or be one-and-done with the team.

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