These days, Kirk Cousins has a bit of time on his hands. And only part of it is because his Minnesota Vikings didn’t make the NFL playoffs this year.
The 35-year-old quarterback has been recovering from an Achilles tear sustained in October in a 24-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
At the beginning of the recovery process, he was a little apprehensive about not knowing what to expect, Cousins told For The Win in a recent interview promoting his Super Bowl 58 partnership with Tostitos. But he said his rehab is going strong and he’s “making progress every day.”
Though still in recovery, he’s still looking forward to the Super Bowl like everyone else — and maybe, as a Michigan native, secretly rooting for the Lions.
For The Win spoke with Cousins about his recovery, a big football season all around for the state of Michigan and what books and movies he’s into these days.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What are your go-to serving snacks when you invite people over?
I’m pretty simple. I don’t like to have to do a lot of cleanup or a lot of prep, so you cannot beat chips, dip and queso because it’s just so easy. … Going back to college, that’s what we always did when college buddies got together to watch a game. It was just, get out the chips and dip, and that worked.
I’m not going to turn down any snack food. I like them all, wash them down with a Pepsi. So it’s all good to me. … It’s fun to get together with people and watch football, and because of my injury, I’ve been watching a lot of football lately. So, I’m becoming a pro at what it looks like to watch football well.
After surgery on your Achilles tendon, how is your recovery coming? Are you doing alright?
It’s going well. It’s been a positive process. I was a little nervous. Would the rehab be grueling? Would it be really boring? I think every day’s been good, and I’ve enjoyed the dynamic working with my trainers and therapists, and we’re making progress every day. So, hopefully we can keep that upward trend going and be back on the practice field in no time.
You played college at Michigan State, and you've been in that area. How do you process how big the Detroit Lions' playoff run has been for the fan base?
Growing up in Michigan, I’ve kind of lived through that 30 years they talk about of Lions’ seasons that were less than hoped. And this year, to host two playoff games, to win a playoff game, to win the division — I know the people here in Michigan are so excited, especially when you factor in the national championship that the University of Michigan won. It’s been a good football year for people in the state of Michigan.
How do you feel about Michigan State right now? Do you think it's on the upward swing? Do you think it can get things going and get back in contention?
Yeah, I do. I think they hired a great coach, and I think he’s got his hands full with the work up ahead. But I think he knows what he’s doing, and just like Coach [Mark] Dantonio built it up back in 2007, one week at a time, one year at a time. I think Coach Smith will do the same thing, and I’m excited to watch from a distance and be a support to the program they’re building.
As an avid book-lover, do you have a top five? Do you have some that you like to read multiple times or ones that you're trying to recommend?
People ask me a lot. Like, I’ll have teammates who will say, “Hey, what’s a book you’d recommend?” So, I keep it all on an app on my phone to try and keep it organized. … I think that biographies are my favorite. I’m currently reading a biography by Bernie Marcus, who started Home Depot. So, I’m reading his biography, really enjoying it.
One of my all-time favorites was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. So, I have an interest in business and entrepreneurs who started something from nothing and had success. So, there are a lot of books I find at bookstores of people who had that kind of a journey, and I’m glad they write them because I love reading their stories. And I always learn a lot when I hear about someone else’s journey on their quest to excellence in what they do.
Did you get to see Oppenheimer? What did you think?
Cousins was asked last summer if he was more excited to see Barbie or Oppenheimer, and he picked the Christopher Nolan historical epic. Has he gotten around to see it yet?
So I still haven’t seen Oppenheimer. I need to go; I don’t get to the theaters that much, although I did just see Boys in the Boat. I thought that was a great movie.
I heard Oppenheimer is probably up for a lot of awards this spring, and as a result, I need to go and see it because that’s my kind of movie: a true story that had a major impact on world history. That’s right up my alley.
When they make the Kirk Cousins movie, who do you want to play you? Who would direct it?
I get asked that question every now and then; I feel like my answer’s evolved. … I think his name’s Glen [Powell], but he plays Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick. I think, age-wise, and kind of that role, I think that he might be able to do it. I don’t know how well he throws a football, but that might be one of my early choices.
If I have my pick [for director], I’m a Steven Spielberg fan, so, I would go with Spielberg right away. I feel like he almost can’t make a bad movie. So, it’d be hard for him to screw it up, but I don’t know if he’d be signing up for a Kirk Cousins bio. But if he was, I would love to have him.
Do you have some favorite movies you watch throughout the season? Do you have go-to movies you love to watch?
The rewatchables movies for me would be the Ocean’s, the three Ocean’s, 11, 12 and 13, which are Vegas, where the Super Bowl is going to be this year and where the Tostitos pop-up restaurant is going to be. I think the Ocean’s movies, between the comedy and just the heist part of it, is a lot of fun.
I do love true stories, so I love a Spielberg movie like Lincoln. I get inspired by [it], love to watch. I’m a sucker for sports movies like a lot of athletes, so I love Remember the Titans and Rudy, and I can go on-and-on with the sports movies.
