EAGAN, Minn. — Football fans are seeing Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in a new light following his appearance in the Netflix docuseries, "Quarterback."
He sat down with KARE 11 "Breaking the News" anchor Jana Shortal to talk candidly about his critics, respect in the NFL, and even shares some backstory from his famous "you like that" catchphrase.
KIRK: I would say there were high expectations because the team had been so good in 2017 when they were basically a quarterback away from winning the Super Bowl was the thought process. It was why I wanted to be here, I wanted to be a part of a great football team and then when we go basically 500 the first year and miss the playoffs ahh, that was a tough start.
JANA: PEOPLE SAID YOU PAID HIM TOO MUCH HE’S NOT WORTH IT HE'S NOT A TOP-TIER QUARTERBACK HE’S MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, DOESN’T THAT HURT?
KIRK: Ah, I think, they do not say it to my face (laughs). So, I was ignorant of it all. I don’t go looking for it or reading it so I always felt insulation and you also understand what you signed up for.
JANA: DID YOU EVER WANT TO DO ANYTHING BESIDES FOOTBALL?
KIRK: Football was so much my dream that I thought it was impossible. I figured, you know, yeah, I would love to play professional football, but I also would love to win the lotto, not going to happen I knew the odds.
There is no doubt I have other dreams, I love learning about business, I think when I am done playing, I will get pretty involved in investing and business and see what is out there and I am going to enjoy being a dad. I think when I’m retired, I will be a full-time dad that will be fun too.
JANA: DO YOU STILL DRIVE A VAN OR WAS THAT ALL MADE UP?
KIRK: I still own a van; it is not my daily driver but you better believe I do. I plan to always have a conversion van in the garage as an option in the rotation because they are comfortable, you can sit high, you can be just yourself driving you can have your kids and all their friends. You got TV. It is just comfortable.
KIRK: I have always been in my story going back to high school a little bit underrated a little bit overlooked and even though I got the college scholarship and got to play in college and then got drafted and play in the pros and on and on and on that has sort of always followed me and I don’t know it it’s the dad vibes, I don’t know if its I am kind of an old soul and kind of like to keep under the radar, I don’t know what it is but there will always be some of that, as long as you aren’t surprised by it you kind of know that is part of your journey and its good with me.
JANA: DO YOU THINK YOU JUST HAVE THIS KIND OF MONKEY ON YOUR BACK OF EH, HE’S NOT REALLY WORTH IT?
KIRK: Yeah, I think winning will always trump that. So, for me, I say hey if we win football games it doesn’t really matter what people say. I think that is kind of where my ‘you like that’ catchphrase in DC started was having that same approach and having a big win and say, 'hey you may not like me you may not want to see me succeed but if you are a fan of this team you like that.'
JANA: DOES YOUR WIFE REALLY PICK OUT YOUR CLOTHES?
KIRK: She absolutely does. What wife doesn’t help their husband with their appearance. I just assumed most have spouses have one that say hey don’t leave the house with that on.
JANA: IS THERE ANY PART OF YOU THAT IS WEIRD?
KIRK: Well going back with the dad thing, I am an old soul. My mom would tell me this when I was 12 years old. 'Kirk you are 12 going on 75.' I kind of wonder if it’s a Benjamin Button thing and I reverse age and when I’m 75 you will see me at the clubs in the city maybe?
JANA: DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WOUND A LITTLE TOO TIGHT?
KIRK: I think it’s a double-edged sword, it’s a balance right so many times your greatest strength is your weakness so you have to keep a balance. What has gotten me here are those traits finding the inches and the 1% better and that can come with being wound too tight pushing yourself too hard.
FULL INTERVIEW: Check out the full interview below.
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