Kirk Cousins remains the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback for the fourth straight season. But the club might have drafted his eventual replacement when it made Kellen Mond a third-round selection.
Cousins isn't bothered by the Vikings using a Day 2 draft pick on a signal-caller who could one day take his job. The veteran is a willing mentor to the Texas A&M product.
"You're an open book, you're helpful, and you're there and make yourself available," Cousins said, via the team's official website.
Cousins is due guaranteed salaries of $21 million and $35 million the next two years, respectively, so the QB can comfortably mentor the young, raw Mond without fear of losing his job -- or money coming his way. It helps that the Vikings kept Cousins informed of their plans to draft a quarterback potentially.
"There was good communication through the process, and Kellen's been great, working hard, picking up our offense quickly," Cousins said.
Cousins noted that he was mentored by Rex Grossman early in his career in Washington, and he's been that "open book" to previous Vikings backups Nate Stanley and Jake Browning -- though neither were a threat to eventually take over Minnesota's starting gig, while Mond could one day.
"(Grossman) was a big part of my early development as a football player," Cousins said, via the Associated Press. "I really took every word he said to heart because I felt he'd been there, done that and he should know what it looked like. I hung on his every word. I've been there and want to certainly be that same resource whenever possible."
The Vikings are looking to bounce back after a 7-9 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs despite Cousins throwing a career-high 35 touchdowns. Minnesota has been on an every-other-year postseason back-and-forth since Mike Zimmer took over the club in 2014.
