Mike Zimmer Reportedly Exploded Kirk Cousins ​​During “Training Meetings”

Backstage, it looks like former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has enough of his quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

When Mike Zimmer was fired from his position as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, it seemed like a long overdue move from an outside perspective. Zimmer has failed to maintain the level of success the team saw after the Minneapolis Miracle, ending his final season as head coach with another losing record.

Even though Zimmer is outside of Minneapolis, it looks like Zimmer wants to Kirk Cousin out of the building all seasons. According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, Zimmer feels that Cousins ​​is not playing enough wins and not raising the bar for his teammates, something he has complained about publicly during coaching meetings.

Graff noted that some of Zimmer’s “top lieutenants” agreed with him about Cousins.

Mike Zimmer complained about Kirk Cousins ​​during the 2021 season

As SKORNorth director Phil Mackey notes, “The Vikings averaged 10 wins – including two division titles and an NFC title game – in Zimmer’s previous four years against Cousins.” While Zimmer must bear the brunt of the blame and the Vikings have now hired a new general manager and head coach, the doubts raised about Cousins ​​are not unfounded.

Cousins ​​can be a great passer, but if he lacks key leadership qualities, that could affect his ability to win — in this case, create winning plays and raising the level of teammates. Invisible leadership can be hard to pinpoint, but the most successful quarterbacks are all locker room leaders who inspire their teammates. Failure to instill confidence in others and maintain it within yourself can cause Cousins ​​to falter when the team needs him most.

However, the Vikings have made a significant financial commitment to Cousins, and it will be easier to try training a quarterback quartet than to find another capable veteran to take over the franchise. While Zimmer might be the problem, that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily wrong in his assessment of Cousins.