Carefree Vikings QB Kirk Cousins on coronavirus risk: 'If I die, I die'

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was trending on social media Wednesday after telling a podcast he is not afraid of the coronavirus.

"If I did, I die," Cousins said during an interview with Spotify's "10 Questions With Kyle Brandt."

Cousins told Brandt he doesn't believe face masks help to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but wears them out of respect for other people's concerns about potential health and safety risks.

Brandt asked Cousins to rate his level of concern about the virus on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being "masks are stupid, you're all a bunch of lemmings" and 10 being "I'm not leaving my master bathroom for the next 10 years."

"I'm not gonna call anybody stupid, for the trouble it would get me in, but I'm about a .000001," Cousins replied.

10 team members positive in latest testing

.".. I'm gonna go about my daily life," Cousins continued. "If I get it, I'm gonna ride it out. I'm gonna let nature do its course. Survival-of-the-fittest kind of approach. And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I'm going to be OK. You know, even if I die. If I die, I die. I kind of have peace about that."

The NFL and NFL Players Association announced Tuesday that four players and six team staff members tested positive for the coronavirus during the latest testing period from Aug. 21-29.

A total of 8,739 players and club personnel were tested 58,621 times during that period.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, the 32-year-old Cousins is entering his ninth season in the NFL and his third in Minnesota.

He went 10-5 as a starter in 2019, completing 69.1 per cent of his passes for 3,603 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions.