Kirk Cousins will be BACK in Minnesota in 2023 after playoff disappointment, says Vikings GM

By James On Jan 19, 2023

Kirk Cousins will return to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. Beyond that, the 35-year-old quarterback’s future remains far less clear.

With a salary cap of $36.2 million for next season, Cousins remains under contract. However, he can become a free agent in 2024, which means the Vikings will have to decide to extend one of their offensive captains or let him play out the season in the final year of his contract.

“We expect him to be our quarterback,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters at the team’s season-closing news conference following Sunday’s playoff loss to the New York Giants.

‘I can’t say exactly what that would look like. We have everything at our disposal. We’ll consider all of those things as we would everyone else on the list.

Kirk Cousins will return to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. Beyond that, the 35-year-old quarterback’s future remains far less clear.

“There’s not as much learning that needs to take place in the basic way of doing things,” O’Connell said. ‘Now we modify. Now we can adapt and evolve and continue to allow him to be as comfortable as possible with what we’re asking him to do, and I think that’s where the real growth can come from.”

An extension for All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson is also on the offseason list, a deal that’s sure to break a market record for his position. The Vikings and Jefferson’s agent have had an “initial dialogue,” Adofo-Mensah said.

“I would not use the word challenge,” Adofo-Mensah said. ‘You have a special player, a special person. Those are not problems. Or at least those are problems with the champagne. So we’ll start there.

Kevin O’Connell enjoyed a strong debut as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, with a record-setting wide receiver, a productive offense and a division title. His second season will bring a new set of challenges, starting with a resurrection of defense.

O’Connell said Wednesday that the coaching staff for 2023 has not yet been finalized, with the fate of defensive coordinator Ed Donatell in doubt.

“That’s an ongoing process that is continuing as we speak and will continue for the rest of this week,” O’Connell said. “I think it’s important to do it, and I think after the success we had this year and not getting to where we ultimately wanted to be. I think it’s the right thing to do and I’ll make sure I go through that entire process when doing it.

The Vikings managed to win 13 games while ranking second-worst in yards allowed in the NFL and fourth-worst in points allowed during the regular season.

Their 31-24 loss at home to the New York Giants was the last straw for a defense that from the beginning was not up to the task in terms of coverage, attack and communication. The Giants averaged 80 yards on five touchdown drives, four of which went for touchdowns on a career-changing day for quarterback Daniel Jones in his playoff debut.

‘We talk a lot about that word development in this building. So with that, he feels a responsibility to make sure that all of our schemes evolve, change and improve year on year,” O’Connell said. “That won’t be different every year that I’m the coach here.”

Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the New York Giants at US Bank Stadium

The transition from previous head coach Mike Zimmer’s 4-3 base scheme with a preference for man-to-man pass coverage and constant charging ultimately wasn’t easy. Donatell’s system is a 3-4 lineup, but with the proliferation of three-receiver formations in the league, the Vikings were only in their base package about 25% of the snaps. But their nickel defense was continually vulnerable and passive in their zone coverages under the two tall safeties.

“I feel like some of our guys really handled that with ease,” O’Connell said. “With some of our guys, it was a work in progress, finding their lead role and how they can thrive. Ultimately, that’s up to us as coaches, and me, as the head football coach, to make sure that we take a good hard look at it.”

Adofo-Mensah and his front office will face as complicated a salary cap puzzle as any team in the league this offseason, likely forcing the departure of some important veteran players. That happens everywhere, but the moves the Vikings have to make could eat away at the team’s leadership and chemistry more than usual.

“We also have to consider those things, in addition to production in the field,” Adofo-Mensah said. “But really, at the end of the day, we’re trying to hit a talent threshold, a way of playing, a vision for this team that’s a championship standard.”