Vikings QB Kirk Cousins seized headlines in the offseason when he said his vaccination decision was “a very private health matter.”
Cousins was a close-contact and had to isolate for five days due to rookie QB Kellen Mond testing positive for COVID-19 before the regular season. During the season, Cousins was not put through COVID-19 protocol —until Friday.
Minnesota announced that it placed Cousins on the COVID-19/Reserve list. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Cousins tested positive for the virus. The quarterback is unvaccinated, so he will miss the Packers game in Week 17, per Schefter.
So who steps up against the Packers? Minnesota activated QB Sean Mannion off the COVID-19/Reserve list on Friday. Mannion has served as the team’s backup quarterback since 2019. There’s also Kellen Mond, a rookie third-round pick who seemed like a project coming into the draft and looked like one during the preseason.
The Vikings could also do some fan service and start preseason legend Kyle Sloter. The team signed Sloter to the active roster this week. Although, given the time it would take for him to get acclimated to the team, Sloter should not see too many reps on Sunday.
Additionally, Minnesota activated OT Rashod Hill off the COVID-19/Reserve list.
