'Lil' Kirko Chainz' bids farewell as Kirk Cousins heads to Atlanta

Vikings fan ‘Lil Kirko Chainz’ wishes Cousin well

Hours after learning that their quarterback the last four years, Kirk Cousins, had signed with the Atlanta Falcons for a deal just as long, many Minnesota Vikings fans remained in shock following the news. FOX 9’s Maury Glover caught up with one fan in particular to digest it all.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As a fourth-generation Vikings fan, it's safe to say Kirk Cousins is Lincoln Gustafson's favorite player. So he's disappointed to hear the veteran quarterback will be moving on.

"I was surprised but I hope he does well in Atlanta and the Vikings lost a very good quarterback," said Lincoln.

After a video of Cousins dancing shirtless on a plane with a bunch of chains wrapped around his neck following a win in Washington D.C. went viral, Gustafson decided to dress like him for his first Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving of 2022.

The now 9-year-old from Denver, Iowa ended up on the jumbotron several times, earning him the nickname "Lil' Kirko Chainz" and prompted the Vikings to give his family tickets to a game the following week, where Gustafson got to meet Cousins in person.

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"He is exactly who you expect him to be in real life. Very down-to-earth. Very humble. Just an all-around good person and it was a great experience for us," said Lincoln's mom Heather.

Since then, the Gustafsons say they've watched Cousins' career highs, like leading the biggest comeback in NFL history, and lows, tearing his Achilles tendon.

They're sad to say goodbye to a Viking who gave them so many memorable moments, both on and off the field.

"It feels a little like an end of an era for us. We have a lot of good memories with him. We're losing a really solid quarterback," said Hether.

Lincoln says Cousins made him like the Vikings even more, and he'll still root for him, even though Cousins will no longer be wearing purple and gold.

"I'll still watch his games, but I'm still going to be a Vikings fan," said Lincoln.