Am sorry but i have to leave : as vikings star player depart……….

Less than 24 hours after it happened, the Vikings confirmed everybody’s worst fear about veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. He has a torn Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season.

That was the assumption after Cousins was carted off the field on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. He suffered the major injury while trying to step up in the pocket with the Vikings well on their way to a 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers. He hopped off the field without putting any weight on his right foot before eventually making his way to the medical tent.

Talking to reporters on Monday at TCO Performance Center, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell appeared noticeably affected by the devastating news.

“We’re all hurting this morning for Kirk,” O’Connell said. “We’re going to miss him.”

In the meantime, the Vikings will be forced to press on without Cousins, who has helped them win three games in a row to get to 4-4 on the season and back into the NFC North race. There’s still widespread belief within the organization that this particular group is capable of making the playoffs. Never mind that they are down arguably their most important player.

“We have to move forward,” O’Connell said. “Nobody feels sorry for anybody in this league.”

Now, the Vikings have shifted their focus to this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons without knowing who their starter will be.

Though rookie quarterback Jaren Hall would seem like the natural choice considering he filled in for the Vikings against the Packers, O’Connell hinted that there’s a chance it could be a someone who isn’t on the current roster.

The only other options under contract are two veteran quarterbacks — Nick Mullens, who is on injured reserve, and Sean Mannion, who is on the practice squad.

“It’s all based upon what we feel gives us the best opportunity to beat the Atlanta Falcons,” O’Connell said. “It’s going to be a heck of a challenge.”

There are a few different ways the Vikings could proceed. They could canvass the free-agent market, try to convince somebody to come out of retirement or execute a trade of some sort.

If the Vikings want to acquire a player from another team, they would have to do that sooner rather than later. The trade deadline is Tuesday, so general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t have much time to make a deal, if that’s what he wants to do.

Asked about casting a wide net in the search for a potential starter, O’Connell smiled, then replied, “You wouldn’t believe some of the things on my cell phone I’ve received over here in less than 24 hours.”

As for Cousins, he will have surgery at a later date, then will start the recovery process. His contract expires after the season, so it’s possible he has played his final game with the Vikings. Not that he was thinking about that in the immediate aftermath.

“He was already discussing timelines and when he’ll be ready to go and all those things,” O’Connell said. “He loves playing this game. He takes a lot of pride in playing this game and being as durable as he’s been throughout his career. This is going to be new for him.”

Asked about Cousins, safety Josh Metellus praised him for his attitude on the plane ride back to the Twin Cities. Some players would have kept to themselves after suffering such a major injury. That wasn’t the case with Cousins as he operated like his usual self.

“That’s what we love about him,” Metellus said. “He’s always himself. He wasn’t as devastated as a lot of us leaving that locker room. He definitely knows that his presence is going to be missed.”

Maybe the thing the Vikings take the most solace in right now is the fact that Cousins will still be around his teammates. Safety Cam Bynum joked that he wouldn’t put it past Cousins to wear his helmet on the sidelines during games, bringing energy even if if he’s not playing.

“He’s really not shaken by this,” Bynum said. “He finds joy in the trials, and that’s something I respect like crazy out of him.”