Vikings, Kirk Cousins say his Achilles tendon surgery was a success

Vikings doctor Chris Coetzee led the operation to repair quarterback Kirk Cousins' torn right Achilles tendon in Eagan this morning.

November 1, 2023 at 11:44PM
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was carted off the field in the fourth quarter against the Packers on Sunday. He had successful surgery on his torn right Achilles tendon on Wednesday. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins posted on social media that he had successful surgery in Eagan on Wednesday morning to repair his torn right Achilles tendon.

Vikings doctor Chris Coetzee, who specializes in foot and ankle surgery, led the operation at Twin Cities Orthopedics on Wednesday. The Vikings placed Cousins on injured reserve Tuesday; he will miss the rest of the season after surgery.

"Surgery was a success!" Cousins posted on social media. "Grateful for your prayers, Dr. Coetzee's abilities, and our medical team. Would appreciate continued prayers! One day at a time…"

View post on X

Cousins tore his Achilles with just over 10 minutes left in the Vikings' 24-10 win over the Packers on Sunday, when he dropped back and planted his right cleat in the Lambeau Field grass before stumbling forward. Cousins managed to fall forward and protect the ball as Kenny Clark touched him down for a sack on the play, and hopped off the field to the sideline. After a quick examination in the sideline medical tent, the Vikings ruled him out for the game and carted him to the locker room.

The Vikings have given no timeline for Cousins' recovery. The 35-year-old is set to become a free agent after this season.

"He's doing really well, and compliments to the doctors over there and everybody responsible for helping to get him fixed up, so like we've done with some of our players that have had some significant injuries, as an organization, we'll wrap our arms around him to have great resources that hopefully we can get his recovery going pretty quickly," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "I know he wants to get back in the quarterback room and get back with his teammates when the time is right, so look forward to that."

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said he texted with Cousins on Wednesday and was re-energized by the conversation.

"The way his mind works, he's so process-oriented and so intentional, he's talking about being back at OTAs [Organized Team Activities], doing all the different things and what his schedule's going to be," Adofo-Mensah said.

The Vikings plan to start rookie Jaren Hall at quarterback on Sunday in Atlanta, O'Connell said Tuesday. The Vikings traded for former Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who could be ready to back up Hall by Sunday and might be a candidate to start in the coming weeks.

The team could also get Nick Mullens back from injured reserve as soon as next week, though O'Connell has said the Vikings want to be cautious about bringing Mullens back too soon from the low back injury that's kept him out the past three games.

about the writer

Ben Goessling

Sports reporter

Ben Goessling has covered the Vikings since 2012, first at the Pioneer Press and ESPN before becoming the Star Tribune's lead Vikings reporter in 2017. He was named one of the top NFL beat writers by the Pro Football Writers of America in 2024, after honors in the AP Sports Editors and National Headliner Awards contests in 2023.

See More