Getty The Minnesota Vikings signed Northern Arizona product Case Cookus on Monday, August 2, 2021.
Minnesota, meet your quarterback for the next week.
A name that’s a crowd pleaser for Minnesota Vikings fans reminiscing on the 2017 season, Case Cookus was signed by the team on Monday, general manager Rick Spielman confirmed. Cookus’ arrival comes in the wake of three absent quarterbacks in Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond and Nate Stanley — who are all on the COVID-19 reserve list to start the week.
Mond, who tested positive for COVID-19, is expected to be out 14 days, while Cousins and Stanley, both deemed “high-risk” close contact cases, must be isolated for a minimum of five days.
Cookus worked out for the Vikings Monday morning with Rosemount, Minn., native Jackson Erdmann and Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald before announcing his signing.
Cookus enters training camp as the backup quarterback behind Jake Browning, who took every quarterback rep on Saturday when the trio of passers was ruled out of practice.
“It felt like I was learning the whole time, kind of like the first day of school, kind of taking it all in,” Cookus said following his first practice, per the Pioneer Press.”But overall we’ve got some guys out there who were helping me out as it’s going, a lot of coaches and even the players.”
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A Crowd Pleaser
Not to be confused with 2017 Vikings quarterback Case Keenum or running back Dalvin Cook, Cookus, a Northern Arizona product, was an FCS Division I but spent the past two seasons floating in the NFL.
Cookus, 25, threw for over 12,000 passing yards, 105 touchdowns and 21 interceptions during his college career. In his senior year, Cookus threw 4,114 yards and 31 touchdowns as a candidate for the Walter Peyton Award, given to the most outstanding FCS Division I offensive player.
Cookus was a member of the New York Giants in the 2020 preseason but did not make the cut. He had a brief stint with the Denver Broncos earlier this offseason and recently worked out for the Dallas Cowboys.
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4th Vikings Player Placed on COVID-19 Reserve List
On Monday, undrafted rookie wide receiver Myron Mitchell was also placed on the COVID-19 reserve list along with the trio of quarterbacks.
Minnesota also lost third-year wide receiver Bisi Johnson for the season after Johnson tore his ACL in practice last week.
Down two receivers, the Vikings may look to invite wide receivers to work out to fill Johnson’s spot on the roster.
Meanwhile, coach Mike Zimmer has been frustrated, given the unpredictability and strict rules regarding COVID-19 this season, that players remain unvaccinated.
“I just feel like we’re going to have guys miss games. We could put this thing to bed if we all do this, but it is what it is,” Zimmer said in a Monday press conference.
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Vikings Sign Ex-Giants, Broncos QB: Report