Inside The Vikings

Former Vikings QB Case Cookus is Becoming an Unlikely Star in the USFL

Cookus led the Philadelphia Stars to a blowout victory on Sunday with a dominant performance.
Will Ragatz|
Former Vikings QB Case Cookus is Becoming an Unlikely Star in the USFL
Former Vikings QB Case Cookus is Becoming an Unlikely Star in the USFL

The legend of Case Cookus continues to grow.

Cookus, a former standout quarterback at FCS Northern Arizona, has had a fascinating and unlikely journey in professional football — a journey that reached new heights on Sunday when he delivered arguably the finest individual performance of the United States Football League's inaugural season.

Before we get to his huge day for the Philadelphia Stars, let's rewind.

A dominant 2019 season at NAU, in which Cookus threw for over 4,000 yards with 31 touchdowns, wasn't enough to get him selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three months with the Giants as an undrafted free agent but was waived early in training camp. A stint with the Broncos in May 2021 lasted just a few days.

Then, early in training camp last year, the Vikings came calling out of necessity. With three of their four quarterbacks — Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, and Nate Stanley — on the COVID list, the Vikings needed warm bodies who could throw the football. So they signed Cookus and Danny Etling to join Jake Browning in practice.

Once again, Cookus was waived after just a few days. But something about his alliterative, previously unknown name caused him to become something of a folk hero on Vikings Twitter, with The Athletic's Arif Hasan leading the way.

Cookus spent a week on the Raiders' roster, then briefly signed with a team in the Canadian Football League. He was mostly forgotten until February, when the startup USFL had its first-ever draft. But even in a new league, Cookus wasn't a top pick. He was taken by Philadelphia in the 12th round to be the backup to No. 3 overall pick Bryan Scott. Barring injury, he wasn't going to see the field at all.

Of course, injuries happen at every level of football. And in Week 3 of the season, Cookus was thrust into action when Scott went down mid-game with a significant injury. The Stars lost that game, but Cookus stepped up and went 3-1 in his first four starts of the season. His numbers were somewhat inconsistent, but Cookus did enough to lead his team to multiple victories despite having a poor defense.

On Sunday, Cookus put together the best day by any USFL quarterback all season. Facing the lowly Michigan Panthers, Cookus completed 20 of 26 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns. He added 118 yards and a fifth TD on the ground, highlighted by a 79-yard rushing score. With Cookus leading the way, the Stars put up 46 points — 11 more than any other USFL team has scored — and became the third team to clinch a spot in the four-team playoffs.

The Stars have two games left in the regular season. On June 25th, they'll face the New Jersey Generals in a playoff game in Canton, OH, for a spot in the inaugural championship game.

All of a sudden, Cookus might be entering the discussion to be named the first league MVP in USFL history. The favorite for the award is probably another former Viking: New Orleans Breakers QB Kyle Sloter, who leads the league in passing yards.

It's unlikely, but if the Stars and Breakers can pull off upsets in the first round of the playoffs — the Breakers still have some work to do to get the second berth in the South division — we could end up with a Cookus vs. Sloter championship game. 

If you haven't paid any attention to the USFL all year, it's not too late to start now.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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