Kirk Cousins sure knows how to fire up a crowd without needing to resort to throwing the football.
The Minnesota Vikings needed someone to amp up their famed “Skol” chants that reverberate throughout U.S. Bank Stadium. They ended up getting a side of the currently injured Pro Bowl quarterback on Sunday Night Football that they don’t always see in Week 17.
“Kirk Cousins Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before”
Despite being out for the crucial NFC North showdown against the Green Bay Packers, Cousins still found a way to galvanize his team and fan base — without needing a shirt.
That’s right. The 35-year-old quarterback went with a shirtless, gold chain-wearing look, best known as the side of Cousins not often seen.
Kirk Cousins like you’ve never seen him before. pic.twitter.com/WWLiwmprU7
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 1, 2024
Cousins, however, wasn’t alone in getting rid of his shirt. His own son also made sure his dad was in good company while leading the Skol chant.
YESSSSSS KIRK! 🤣pic.twitter.com/CHDFdzCxau
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 1, 2024
But that wasn’t all from the four-time Pro Bowl passer. It’s not a Skol chant without someone blowing into the gjallarhorn. Cousins had that honor as well in firing up the purple and gold crowd.
Shirtless Kirk Cousins sounds the Gjallarhorn and fires up the crowd pic.twitter.com/hY2FzrdVAZ
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 1, 2024
Then, the sounds of Metallica’s famed hit “For Whom the Bell Tolls” kicked in, and Cousins stayed to rock on with the crowd.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Cousins’ actions were bound to create a string of online reactions. Sure enough, shirtless Cousins trended.
NFL World Reacts to No-Shirt Cousins
NFL insider Ari Meirov was among the ones chiming in on no-shirt Cousins.
“This is incredible,” Meirov posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“Nothing will get Vikings fans going quite like a shirtless Kirk Cousins leading the pregame,” added the X account for Awful Announcing.
The Vikings beat writer for The Athletic Alec Lewis was also in attendance for Cousins’ shirt-off stunt. He described the crowd’s reaction with a unique description.
“Kirk Cousins just took off his shirt to blow the Gjallarhorn. This place is unconscious,” Lewis posted.
Is Cousins Still Facing Uncertain Future With Vikings?
Cousins’ pregame stunt certainly won over the Vikings and their fans, but could that become the final sight of the decorated passer inside U.S. Bank Stadium?
He remains an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2024 offseason cycle beginning in March. Cousins is currently being paid $10 million in base salary. PFN lists him as the No. 1 free agent quarterback ahead of the upcoming free agency period.
Before his ACL ailment, Cousins had gone 4-4 overall. He also tossed 18 touchdowns with just five interceptions and improved his completion percentage to 69.5% (was at 65.9% last season). Even though he’ll be 36 by the 2024 training camp season, Cousins has shown that he can still perform at a high level.
He’s even shown a knack for being a team player even when he’s not leading the offense. The Week 17 starter Jaren Hall threw an early interception in the Packers game. Cousins, however, was seen heading over to the rookie to keep him motivated through words of wisdom.
Cousins was fully clothed above the waist when he did speak to the rookie. He remained in a polo sweater the rest of the night.
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