Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sounded less than convinced that quarterback Kirk Cousins was the right guy to lead the team where it wants to go last year and Cousins’ future came up again in a press conference with Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell Wednesday.
The Vikings won the NFC North, but lost their first playoff game and Adofo-Mensah was asked about moving forward with Cousins in the wake of that defeat. Adofo-Mensah said that his “expectation” is that Cousins will remain the starter for another year.
Cousins is heading into the final year of his contract after signing a one-year extension last year and Adofo-Mensah said that the team will look at options regarding another extension that would extend his stay.
O’Connell said that he expects Cousins to be “leading the charge” when it comes to evolving the offense after a full year in the scheme. He added that he expects “real growth” across the board.
“I’m excited for, not only Kirk, but a lot of our players who will now have a year in the system and can really build off of that,” O’Connell said.
Cousins was 424-of-643 for 4,547 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions during the regular season. He’s set to count for more than $36 million under the cap in 2023.