O’Connell ‘anticipating’ Cousins to remain Vikes’ QB

EAGAN, Minn. — Kirk Cousins is a part of the Minnesota Vikings’ plans for the 2022 season. At the least for proper now.

Talking at his introductory information convention on Thursday, 4 days after serving to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a win in Tremendous Bowl LVI, new Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell stated he anticipates Cousins will proceed to be the quarterback in Minnesota regardless of questions surrounding his future.

“Properly, I do know he’s underneath contract and I’m excited to teach him,” O’Connell stated. “We’ve already began interested by how we’re going to construct these methods for him and our different quarterbacks and actually the large ability group that now we have, our guys up entrance. It takes all 11 to maneuver the soccer on offense, to run it, to throw it, to attain factors within the purple zone. However I’m anticipating Kirk being part of what we do.”

Sitting beside O’Connell throughout Thursday’s information convention at crew headquarters, common supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reiterated O’Connell’s stance.

“I’m excited that he’s excited to teach him and lead him, and we’re centered on constructing the crew round him to set us as much as succeed the very best we are able to,” Adofo-Mensah stated.

Cousins is coming into the ultimate 12 months of the $66 million extension he signed in 2020, which comes with a $45 million cap hit, the third highest of any participant within the NFL. Hypothesis has been constructing that the Vikings may choose to maneuver on from the QB this offseason through a commerce as a result of monetary restraints Cousins contract places on Minnesota’s wage cap after the crew didn’t make the playoffs in back-to-back years.

The 33-year-old quarterback’s $35 million base wage for the 2022 season grew to become assured final March, three years after Cousins signed a historic three-year, $84 million totally assured contract in Minnesota as a free agent.

If the Vikings resolve to maintain Cousins within the fold, they might look to increase him for a second time to decrease his cap quantity for 2022 or let him play out the ultimate 12 months of his present contract as is.

Whereas he wouldn’t handle specifics of Cousins’ contract, Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf reiterated his perception that Minnesota will probably be a aggressive crew subsequent season with Cousins at quarterback.

“Kwesi and Kevin have spoken very extensively on it,” Wilf stated of Cousins. “I definitely do imagine and much more so now that we’ve acquired our management right here in place that we’re constructed to achieve success instantly. We really feel very assured about that and such as you heard earlier than, we’re going to work with Kirk as our quarterback and we’ll transfer ahead from there. However for 2022, for certain, we’re going to be tremendous aggressive. Sustained success is the purpose and I feel now we have it with this management.”

O’Connell, who spent the previous two seasons because the Rams’ offensive coordinator, was Cousins’ quarterbacks coach in Washington throughout the 2017 season. Cousins threw for 4,093 yards with 27 touchdowns and 13 touchdowns throughout his remaining season in Washington, when the then-Soccer Crew completed with a 7-9 file.

Throughout O’Connell’s interview with the Vikings, co-owner Zygi Wilf stated he was impressed by the coach’s background as a quarterback and believes “he’ll carry the very best out of [Cousins] and he’ll enhance the offense to a different degree.” O’Connell performed within the NFL from 2008-12.

A part of O’Connell’s imaginative and prescient for the offense is rooted in amplifying Cousins’ skillset. When requested to match the Vikings quarterback to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, O’Connell stated each are “elite throwers.” The coach believes Minnesota can “construct an offense to maximise what [Cousins] does greatest,” and that most of the ideas “folks have seen our offense do in LA will completely see our offense do right here in Minnesota.”

“Kirk has performed at a really excessive degree, and he’s performed a whole lot of actually good issues all through his profession,” O’Connell stated.” I do know who he’s as a participant, and I do know what he’s able to, and a part of our job as coaches is maximizing a participant’s skill to exit each single Sunday and have success.

“I really feel that’s going to be a bonus for us as we construct our system offensively, make certain we actually give attention to the issues Kirk does properly, which I do assume are a whole lot of elements of taking part in the place, and assist him every day join together with his crew, lead us, be a totally quiet-minded quarterback that may go play as a result of he’s proficient sufficient to go do this placing him in the very best conditions to have success.”

O’Connell stated he’ll name offensive performs in Minnesota. He final assumed play-calling duties in Washington after Jay Gruden was fired throughout the 2019 season.

The Vikings are a projected $15.5 million over the wage cap for 2022. The brand new league 12 months and free company begins on March 16 at 4 p.m. ET.