Kevin O’Connell wants the Vikings to build around Kirk Cousins

If new Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s introductory press conference is anything to go by, quarterback Kirk Cousins is firmly in his plans moving forward.

After long last, Kevin O’Connell was introduced to the fans as the new head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. His opening press conference was quite telling and he spoke very well. The Vikings can have every right to be excited about his appointment.

Going into the 2022 offseason there were three main issues that needed to be addressed. They were the general manager vacancy, the head coaching position, and the contract of Kirk Cousins. As soon as the first two were addressed, the attention would turn to the final issue.

As expected, during O’Connell’s introductory press conference the question was asked regarding Cousins and his thoughts on whether or not the quarterback is in the team’s plans.

When asked about how Cousins will fit in the Vikings’ offense as the starting quarterback next season, O’Connell answered “I’m excited to coach him, we have already started thinking about how we are going to build those systems for him”. Minnesota’s new head coach then went on to say “I know who he is as a player and what he’s capable of and part of our jobs as coaches is maximizing a player’s ability to go out every Sunday and have success”.

New Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah echoed these sentiments and said “we are focused on building the team around [Cousins] to set us up to succeed the best we can.”

All roads lead to a possible extension for Cousins. The only barrier now would be finding an offer that suits both sides to get the deal done.

Minnesota Vikings are in win-now mode

Talks of a rebuild seem to have gone out the window for Minnesota. The Vikings feel as though they are only a few pieces away from going all the way and winning their first Super Bowl.

With a few additions to the roster, there is no reason to think the Vikings shouldn’t be able to compete in a wide-open NFC in 2022.

O’Connell appears to be all-in on Cousins, if his press conference is to be believed, an extension is on the horizon for the quarterback.