Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell breaks silence on Kirk Cousins’ future with Minnesota next season following Achilles injury

QB Kirk Cousins might return in a short-term and team-friendly basis to the Vikings.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell breaks silence on Kirk Cousins’ future with Minnesota next season following Achilles injury

Kirk Cousins and Kevin O'Connell (Via Sporting News/Yahoo Sports)

Looks like Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles injury says more than his future this season, as it raises the speculation that the Minnesota Vikings quarterback is more likely to return to the team, next season.

Cousins’ contract with the Vikings is on the verge of ending after this season. And as the 35-year-old quarterback had witnessed their first major surgery this year, which may affect his plan as a free agent next season. This indicates that Cousins is most likely to return to the Vikings, but on a short-term basis and in more of a team-friendly deal.

YouTube video

While talking about the matter, head coach Kevin O’Connell suggested the possible future of QB Cousins with the Vikings, despite his Achilles injury. He sustained the injury during the game against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, and he is still recovering.

FS Video

O’Connell said:

Kirk Cousins is going to be healthy again. I know he's going to be a free agent after this season, but Kirk knows how I feel about him, and that will be something that will hopefully work itself out.

When asked if he wanted the quarterback to get back next season, especially after his high-level performance throughout the season, coach O’Connell said: 

I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League and one of the hardest parts about coping with this and we must do that, coping with the fact that he was experiencing his best season in the National Football League and where we could have gone as a team.

He sounded hopeful that the team with Cousins would get that place.

Moving forward, Kevin admitted that as Cousins still recovering, it’s tough for them to reach the team goals, like they did with the quarterback. However, to move forward, the team needs to accept this challenge and hopefully thrive on it.

How Kirk Cousins can save the Vikings from a QB Crisis?

As for the chances of QB Cousins returning to the Vikings, there seems hope for the franchise, coach, and him to complete what they started this season. With that in mind, there hasn’t been any indication of who would join as the starting quarterback.

Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins (Via NFL.com)

Previously, the Vikings had decided to select a quarterback for the next season in the early draft of next year. But as they now stand with 4-4, there are chances that the Vikings would pick in the 20s, again. Though, it seemed like Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens or the newly acquired Josh Dobbs could take the team forward, it didn’t work out well with them. This means they are certainly not the rightful options for next year’s selection or even after that.

With that possibility not in the picture, there’s likely a scenario that the Vikings would need to level up in order to land Drake Maye or Caleb Williams. But only if they wouldn’t find any worthy enough during the first-round QBs. In that case, Cousins returning seems the best-case scenario for both parties.

In case you missed it: