Kevin O'Connell Hire Means Minnesota Vikings Are All-In on Kirk Cousins

As an offensive coordinator, Kevin O'Connell played a part in the Los Angeles Rams' successful Super Bowl run with Matthew Stafford, who needed to find the right situation after 12 years with the Detroit Lions. Now, as the Minnesota Vikings head coach, O'Connell can improve the circumstances around Kirk Cousins, a polarizing player within the fanbase.

As a talent, Cousins doesn't compare to Stafford, who is more athletic with a stronger arm, but O'Connell may see similarities in their potential to carry an offense, which likely attracted him to the job in Minnesota.

For all the talk about Cousins' inability to win in prime time, he is a high-volume passer who can lead his team into the end zone. The 33-year-old has ranked in the top 10 in passer rating in each of the past four seasons and in the top 10 in passing yards as well as passing touchdowns in 2020 and 2021.

O'Connell will take over an offense with a consistent 4,000-yard passer, a budding star wide receiver in Justin Jefferson (1,400 or more yards in each of his first two seasons), a two-time Pro Bowl wideout in Adam Thielen and arguably a top-five running back in Dalvin Cook.

That sounds like a good situation, and O'Connell has a "firm belief" in Cousins, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler tweeted:

O'Connell worked with Cousins when he coached quarterbacks as part of Jay Gruden's staff in Washington in 2017. The following year, Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract with Minnesota.

Though the two only crossed paths for a season, the respect seems mutual. Cousins told NFL Network that O'Connell is ready to take the leap to head coach like some of the most brilliant young minds in today's game (via Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith):

"With Kevin I see a lot of the similarities that I saw with Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Sean McVay. When they were hired as head coaches you knew they had great football minds, they were innovative, hard workers, good with people. The only real question was, they're young. Do they have the experience? I think time has proven with Kyle, Matt and Sean that they knew what they were doing and they were able to learn quickly and being a head coach wasn't too big for them. So I feel a similar sense with Kevin."

After two years with McVay in Los Angeles, O'Connell could modernize the Minnesota offense. Following an eight-year run with a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Zimmer—who worked with offensive play-callers Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak to field a run-heavy attack in two of past three years—the Vikings need a breath of fresh air on that side of the ball, which may benefit Cousins.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press/Associated Press

In 2021, the Vikings had a balanced offense, and Cousins earned his third Pro Bowl nod, throwing for 4,221 yards and 33 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.

O'Connell doesn't have to see Stafford in Cousins to think he can win with this team. The Vikings should be a playoff squad, and they don't need to look elsewhere for a quarterback.

While new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will likely restructure Cousins' contract, which carries a $45 million salary-cap hit in 2022, he doesn't need to take an unnecessary risk by going after Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has Minnesota on his list of preferred destinations, according to Fowler.

Watson is the subject of 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints by women alleging sexual assault and misconduct, and the league could suspend him under its personal conduct policy.

With the new regime taking shape, The Athletic's Chad Graff has moved away from the idea that the Vikings will trade Cousins.

"I now think it's more likely than not that Cousins stays with the Vikings," Graff wrote. "After the season ended, I guessed there was around a 60 percent chance that Cousins was traded. Now, with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell in place, I'd estimate there's around a 25 percent chance Cousins is traded."

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero took a stronger stance on Cousins' future:

If O'Connell's defensive staff, which includes coordinator Ed Donatell and senior assistant Mike Pettine, per Pelissero, can improve a unit that ranked 24th and 29th in points allowed over the past two seasons, Cousins can lead the balanced roster back to the postseason. Minnesota has viable playmakers on the other side of the ball such as 2019 All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks, two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter (when healthy) and six-time Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith.

With Cousins' playmakers and four recent first- and second-round picks across the offensive line—Christian Darrisaw, Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury and Brian O'Neill—he has all the tools to perform at a high level.

Unlike Stafford, who came from a franchise with a losing culture, Cousins plays with a team that's hovered around .500 or finished with double-digit wins in his four years.

While several NFC clubs have unproven quarterbacks or otherwise need answers at the position, O'Connell enters the scene in Minnesota with a proven commodity. He doesn't need to disrupt such stability for the sake of change. With a renewed vision for the club, the 36-year-old could be the next young head coach to turn a talented roster into a perennial playoff contender.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.