EAGAN, Minn. — The recovery process is underway for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins following surgery on his ruptured Achilles tendon early Wednesday.
Cousins posted on his X (Twitter) account shortly after 9 a.m. calling the procedure a success, along with a picture of him in post-op wearing a purple cast on his right lower leg.
"Grateful for your prayers, Dr. Coetzee’s abilities, and our medical team," Cousins wrote. "Would appreciate continued prayers! One day at a time…"
The Vikings put up their own post, saying the team would provide updates, when appropriate, as their star quarterback moves from recovery to rehab.
The Vikings officially placed Cousins on Injured Reserve yesterday, a formality as head coach Kevin O'Connell earlier announced his QB would miss the rest of the season with his injury, suffered during the second half of Sunday's 24-10 win against Green Bay.
Much has been made of this being the final year of Cousins' contract, with speculation rampant that he could be traded so the Vikings get something before he walks via free agency. But during a press conference Tuesday O'Connell sang the praises of the 35-year-old — who is playing the best football of his career — expressing optimism that somehow a deal can be worked out to place him under center for the Vikings for years to come.
"Kirk Cousins is going to be healthy again," O'Connell insisted. "I know he's going to be a free agent after this season, but Kirk knows how I feel about him, and that will be something that will hopefully work itself out."
It's common to resume what medical experts call "full activity" four to six months after surgery, but full recovery often takes a year or more. Professional athletes can recover more quickly with high-level care and rehab, putting Cousins on pace to resume playing when training camp rolls around in August... that is, if a contract agreement can be reached.
In the meantime, the Vikings announced that rookie Jaren Hall will start Sunday at Atlanta in place of Cousins, who was tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes (18), second in passing yards (2,331) and third in passer rating (103.8) at the time of his season-ending injury.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist: