Vikings' Kellen Mond Praises Kirk Cousins, Says QB Congratulated Him After NFL Draft

Kellen Mond might be the quarterback of the future for the Minnesota Vikings, but Kirk Cousins has been supportive of his potential replacement.

Mond said Cousins reached out to him after the draft to potentially start a valuable partnership.

"He was just congratulating me and telling me he couldn't wait to work with me. I said the same," Mond said Friday. "When I got drafted, I knew what type of opportunity it was for me to be able to learn from a veteran, a guy who has been in multiple systems and been under center, playing in a great offense."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided more details on SportsCenter:

"Well this week, they're just expecting Mond to let loose. They think there's a lot of untapped potential here with a big athlete with a big arm. They didn't always use it at Texas A&M, was a little robotic at times. But he has a ton of experience as a four-year starter, so they want to see him just learn the offense and have fun. They believe their play actions and bootleg offense will really accentuate his skill set. They have two practice squad quarterbacks from last year that are going to be at minicamp to help him this week.

"Kirk Cousins has already texted him that he's excited to work with him. And look, Cousins has a ton of guaranteed money coming his way; $21 million this year, $35 million next year, so he's not going anywhere. Mond knows he has time, unless things go really south and they make some sort of trade, Mond's got a two-year window to just learn and then maybe be the guy in two years." 

As a third-round draft pick, there likely won't be much pressure to get Mond on the field quickly unless Cousins struggles significantly.

Despite facing plenty of criticism, Cousins is coming off a strong 2020 season with 4,265 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

His 105.0 quarterback rating was the eighth-best in the NFL among qualified players.

Considering the Vikings would be left with $45 million in dead cap if he was released before the 2022 season, per Spotrac, the veteran's job is secure.

It allows Mond time to learn on the bench, and the Texas A&M product appears ready to listen to Cousins.

"Just being able to come out here and learn from him, that was one of the reasons I was so excited to [be with the Vikings]," Mond said of Cousins.