EA Sports dropped their quarterback ratings for Madden 23 on Friday and if you’re wondering where Kirk Cousins wound up, it’s exactly where you would expect him to be: the middle.
The latest installment gives Cousins an 80 overall rating, which places him as the 16th-highest rated quarterback in the game. While Cousins is rated higher than some comparable quarterbacks such as New England’s Mac Jones (78), Carolina’s Baker Mayfield (77) and the soon-to-be-traded Jimmy Garoppolo (77), he’s lower than Matt Ryan (81), Ryan Tannehill (83) and Matthew Stafford (85).
These ratings will cause some Vikings fans to throw their controller (or their keyboard) in disgust, but it also continues the narrative that follows Cousins wherever he goes.
In four seasons in Minnesota, Cousins has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns three times. In the season he failed to reach those milestones, he led the Vikings to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2019.
Despite these accomplishments, the national opinion of Cousins is largely negative. Former Vikings linebacker and KFAN analyst Ben Leber told CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb last week that his relationship with former head coach Mike Zimmer was partially to blame and should lead to a better season in 2022.
Ben Leber believes Kirk Cousins can win a Super Bowl and says @KirkCousins8 will benefit from actually having a coach that likes him this season.
Full @ZachGelb Show chat with @nacholeber here: https://t.co/CV0a4ZpVMp#Skol pic.twitter.com/2MMNbneB6V
— Infinity Sports Network (@InfSportsNet) July 16, 2022
Cousins also has the benefit of working with new head coach Kevin O’Connell, who helped lead Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl last season.
FOX Sports radio host Colin Cowherd believes that will make a big difference, as he’s putting the Vikings 13 or 14 wins, largely because Zimmer is out of town.
If that happens, Cousins’ rating — as well of the rating of his teammates — is sure to spike. Until that becomes a reality, Cousins will continue to be the NFL’s median of starting quarterbacks.
