Don’t Read Too Much into Kevin O’Connell’s Kirk Cousins Comments
Josh Frey
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Earlier this week, it appeared the Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell took a step back in terms of his support for QB Kirk Cousins. After some glowing remarks regarding the quarterback during his opening press conference, the newly hired coach said that he was focused on the “short-term” and “training camp is a long way away in my mind” when asked by Chad Hartman if Cousins would be the QB when training camp rolls around.
First of all, the question was ridiculously phrased by Hartman. Asking a brand-new head coach if he could say “without a doubt, unequivocally” who the quarterback in February is something that no one knows the answer to. Credit to O’Connell for immediately calling it out as such.
O’Connell’s job as head coach is not to make decisions regarding the team’s personnel. That lies with GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the rest of the front office. O’Connell’s responsibility is to put forward a winning product with the players he is provided. Whether that includes Cousins or not is something unknown to anyone.
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Gun to my head, I would say the Vikings quarterback in 2022 is Cousins whether or not an extension gets done. He is a talented player, and it will be hard to find a package worth moving him for. Even harder will be finding a team able and willing to take on his $45 million cap hit.
Additionally, it is asinine to assume a new head coach is going to go into an offseason committing one way or another. This is a turbulent situation with Cousins, and the franchise has to be ready for anything. If he signs an extension to lower his cap hit, then great, but Minnesota would be foolish not to look at trades if someone is willing to give them sizeable compensation. They’ve already received one call, and there will surely be others on the way.
At the minimum, I would guess the team waits until April to pull the trigger on anything. There will have to be draft picks involved in a Cousins trade, so that is the month where speculation reaches a peak. Until then, anything is likely fluff.
