Did Vikings doubt Kirk Cousins? Insider claims "leadership" issues led to team's pursuit of J.J. McCarthy

For months, J.J. McCarthy and Kirk Cousins wondered what would happen in 2024. It is now clear that Cousins is out and J.J. McCarthy is in. With the new Vikings quarterback filling Cousins' shoes, reasons explaining why the latter had to go might be coming to light.

Speaking on "Pro Football Talk" on Friday, NFL analyst Mike Florio said that "leadership abilities" forced the team to move on.

Mike Florio: [00:00:42] "I've heard some strong opinions about some folks who have worked with Cousins in the past who question his overall leadership abilities. We'll see how the Vikings go moving forward and this is, I think, one of the reasons they were gravitating toward J.J. McCarthy."

"They insist they envision in him someone who will come over and be that natural leader, charismatic leader who takes the team, places where it's been tried to get back to for nearly 50 years. [00:01:15]," Florio said. [32.4] PFT

Of course, no specifics were given, so fans can only speculate or point to various nuggets of information that have come to light over the last few years. One point that sticks out is that Cousins would take one full day off from work during the season every week.

As learned in the "Quarterback" docuseries on Netflix, via Pro Football Talk and MLFootball on Twitter/X, Cousins would take every Tuesday off.

That said, Cousins brought stability to the team. From 2018 until 2022, he threw for at least 26 touchdowns every season. In addition, he finished under .500 just once.

Kirk Cousins enters first mentorship era of career

Kirk Cousins at Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings

Cousins, who will soon turn 36, has the responsibility of mentoring Michael Penix Jr., the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft — an addition predicted by few analysts, which shocked the league. However, shock notwithstanding, it falls to Cousins to learn how to explain the ins and outs of his job for the last decade.

Some quarterbacks ease into the opportunity without a fuss. Others neglect the idea altogether. Joe Flacco notoriously refused to mentor Drew Lock for the Denver Broncos. If such a case occurs with the Falcons, it will fall to Penix to learn by watching the quarterback with alleged leadership issues.

If true, some fans are poised to use this as a reason to change the guard sooner than may have been expected a month ago.

Will Kirk Cousins finish the 2024 season as the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons?