Getty Wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings offense is a tight-knit group and has only grown closer through all the adversity it has faced this season.
All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson put voice to that bond when speaking with ESPN’s Kevin Seifert for his latest piece on why Minnesota needs quarterback Kirk Cousins, or an equally precise passer, to maximize the potential of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offensive scheme.
“I feel like I really don’t have to voice my opinion that much. You can just really look at the stats and look at the play, especially before he went down this year,” Jefferson said. “But I definitely will always give that extra word or two for Kirko.”
Kirk Cousins Has Become More Attractive Option for Vikings in 2024 Despite Injury
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings passes during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers in October 2023.
Cousins is out for the remainder of the year with a torn Achilles tendon and is set to hit free agency in March if he and the team can’t reach an agreement on an extension.
The quarterback has played the previous six seasons in Minnesota, leading the franchise to the playoffs on two occasions and earning $185 million over that span. Cousins signed a one-year extension worth $35 million to remain with the Vikings in 2023, though the widely held opinion was that the franchise would part ways with the soon-to-be 36-year-old QB due to his expected contract demands in 2024 and beyond — both in terms of annual average salary and the desired length of a new deal.
The math on both sides of the Cousins equation appears to have changed for multiple reasons. First, the quarterback’s injury is liable to open him up to a shorter contract with more flexibility on the Vikings’ side, though that concession could drive his annual salary higher than it would be otherwise.
Minnesota’s perspective may have also changed, as quarterbacks Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens have struggled to lead O’Connell’s offense successfully — despite having the advantage of throwing to elite-level playmakers like Jefferson, tight end TJ Hockenson and standout rookie receiver Jordan Addison.
The Vikings have reverted to rookie QB Jaren Hall for a must-win home contest against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, despite his less than two quarters of NFL experience. The free-agent market will be full of pricey veterans, arguably none of whom are as talented as Cousins who was playing the best football of his career during his second year under O’Connell before going down with injury.
Kevin O’Connell Focused on Maximizing Justin Jefferson in Vikings’ Offense
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings walks on the field following an NFL game against the Detroit Lions in December 2023.
O’Connell’s primary goal is to maximize Jefferson’s potential within the Vikings’ offense, who the coach compared to NBA greats Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in a recent conversation with local radio personality Paul Allen.
“Just because Michael Jordan was doubled or Kobe Bryant was doubled, it didn’t mean that John Paxson always shot the ball,” O’Connell told Allen, per Seifert. “It meant that sometimes we were going to try to design a play to help Michael Jordan be Michael Jordan.”
That objective requires Cousins, or a player like him, as Seifert articulated Friday.
“Cousins is not the only person on the planet [who] can run O’Connell’s offense at a high level,” Seifert wrote. “But absent any shift in core philosophy, the second half of the Vikings’ season has narrowed the pool of candidates who are likely to be successful. It’ll need to be Cousins, or someone who can similarly throw precision downfield passes with accuracy, timing — and a conscience.”
Jefferson has already made his preference of Cousins clear and the talent on the market next spring, or lack there of, may make a strong case for Cousins’ return to the Vikings all on its own.