Not Long Ago, News of Kirk Cousins Getting into a “Scuffle” in Vegas Would be Weird. No Longer.

Folks, it wasn’t that long ago that Kirk Cousins was strutting around in beige denim and New Balance sneakers in the Twin Cities. Much has changed since he walked away in March of 2024.

The perpetually well-paid passer flopped with the Falcons, opening the door to getting scooped up by the Las Vegas Raiders. Going to Sin City means being able to join forces with Klint Kubiak, who was the OC for the Vikings back in 2021. Apparently, the veteran quarterback didn’t appreciate some of the extra attention from a Las Vegas defender.

Kirk Cousins Gets Physical with Maxx Crosby

In fairness, Maxx Crosby has a reputation for being a monstrous presence, largely due to effort that doesn’t stop. Still, there’s a golden rule in practice: nobody touches the quarterback.

Cousins had good reason to be upset.

Check out what Ryan McFadden said of the “scuffle” in a piece for ESPN: “Defensive end Maxx Crosby hit quarterback Kirk Cousins twice during the team period. And when Crosby hit Cousins’ arm a second time, the 15-year veteran had had enough. Cousins got into Crosby’s face, grabbing the All-Pro’s jersey, while both exchanged words before it was broken up.”

There’s a key word in the above McFadden quote: twice.

Hitting a passer a single time might be forgivable. Crosby has given a ton to the Raiders, so he could get away with a single infraction when most others would get an earful from coaches. Doing it a second time, though? No wonder Cousins wasn’t pleased.

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More background on Crosby from the article: “Ahead of training camp, Crosby said the coaching staff warned him about touching the quarterback. They are fully aware of the passion and intensity that Crosby brings to practice, and know he can occasionally cross the line. Crosby has been that way since college. He mentioned there were times when Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton had to kick him out of practice for being too aggressive.”

Kirk Cousins has many flaws as a football player. His level of intensity and compete aren’t among the problems. Nor, for that matter, has he ever lacked for toughness.

Normally, he’s an in-control guy who is deliberate with his words, but he did allow a few bad words slip out in a joint practice against the 49ers once upon a time. Getting physical with an edge rusher is an escalation of that intensity but comes from the same place.

Or, perhaps, think back to when Cousins and Mike Zimmer put hands on each other. A touch older now, Cousins hasn’t lost his fire. He’s an intense guy when he’s not looking to get a deal at Costco or turn down the extended warranty on a minivan (that’s how they get you, folks).

Kirk Cousins, 37, is looking like the top option in Sin City for 2026. He’ll be tossing the ball to Jalen Nailor, who left Minnesota behind for a nice payday with the AFC team.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.