Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins hosts football camp

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Mandatory minicamp for the Minnesota Vikings has now come and gone, but quarterback Kirk Cousins still has football on the brain as this weekend he is hosting more than 150 kids at the Kirk Cousins Football Camp.

"Really our goal is for this to be the two best days of their summer,” said Cousins. “That's what we shoot for and we want them coming away saying, ‘Football's a great game where you can have a lot of fun.’"

Cousins' passion for the game began at camps like these and he's eager to pass along the knowledge he's gained throughout his playing career.

"To this day there's still fundamentals I learned at a camp in eighth grade that I used as a foundational principle for how I play the quarterback position," said Cousins.

"I've been to a lot of football camps and this one's really fun,” said Colton Benson, a camp participant. “It's a lot better than a lot of the other ones I go to."

“Faith, family and football” is a motto that's often thrown around, but those three words perhaps best describe what the Vikings quarterback is all about. While the kids are eager to sharpen their skills, Cousins hopes they walk away with more than just football knowledge.

"We have Bible verses each day,” said Cousins. “Today is Proverbs 3:5-6. Tomorrow is Galatians 6:7. We ask the kids to memorize the verses and for those that can recite the verses, we have a little award, so it's a lot of fun and hopefully we can use the game of football to parallel what it means to win in the game of life."

Cousins fondly remembers attending football camps hosted by Bears legend Mike Singletary that left a lasting impression on him and he wants the kids leaving camp feeling like he did the same for them.

"I do want them to feel like I was accessible and when they turn on the TV this fall, they can say to their parents or their friends, ‘I know that guy. I've been around him, I've shook his hand and I got to know him and heard his story,’ and hopefully that makes them cheer for us a little harder, which is a win for us, but also hopefully that, you know, encourages them," he said.

Proceeds from the camp will go toward the Kirk and Julie Cousins Foundation, which will help provide scholarships in order for families to better afford the cost of attending the camp in the and the Cousins hope to expand the camp each year.