After Kirk Cousins was traded back to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, the biggest question that needed an immediate answer was not whether he’d be the team’s starter because that’s the reason he was there, but whether he’d get his old No. 8 jersey back.
Cousins wore No. 8 during his previous six years with the Vikings before he left in 2025.
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And this was a big deal for Cousins. He wanted the number and told reporters on Wednesday he would talk to safety Jakobe Thomas about getting it back since the rookie has been wearing it since he joined the team this season.
Kirk Cousins celebrates on the field after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Dec. 17, 2022. (Getty Images)
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“I’m confident that Jakobe and I can have a healthy, mature conversation and figure this out,” Cousins told reporters.
For those uninitiated in NFL traditions, this typically means a negotiation followed by a financial transaction.
The number in exchange for money.
Cousins made good on the promise to have that conversation by texting Thomas early Wednesday to see what it would take to make this happen.
Everyone figured that negotiation proved lucrative to Thomas because when Cousins came out for practice on Thursday, he was wearing No. 8.
And Thomas was wearing No. 6.
Except this is where Jakobe Thomas earns a grand measure of respect in the eyes of the team’s new starting quarterback because he simply gave Cousins his number.
No negotiation.
No mature conversation.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins gets pressure from Green Bay Packers linebacker Kenny Clark in the first quarter at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Oct. 29, 2023. (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)
“We trade, Kirko gets here. I look at and I’m just, ‘Yup, he’s probably going to ask me about it,’ ” Thomas said. “And I was just, ‘He’s got more memories with the number than I do and it’s his number right now.’ He’s got more of a reputation than I do so let’s just give it up.”
“No money needed. I just need him to come here and win games. I don’t want any money. I don’t need anything. Just win games.
“…It’s rightfully his.”
This is class.
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It is not cold-hearted business, but it gracious camaraderie.
Obviously, no one would have held it against Thomas to hold out for some money. Cousins, 38 and in his 15th NFL season, has made approximately $322 million during his career.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins looks on from the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 24, 2023. (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)
Thomas, on his first NFL contract, is making $1.32 million this season.
But what is the price of respect that Thomas has earned from Cousins? Probably priceless.
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Armando Salguero is OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer.
