02-28-2022, 02:58 PM
INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Zimmer spent part of his last few weeks as Vikings head coach bemoaning the team’s situation at quarterback.
The veteran defensive guru had made more of an effort to get the best out of Kirk Cousins in 2021, conducting weekly meetings with the quarterback for the first time in their four years together. But toward the end, it became clear to those within the building that the head coach-quarterback relationship hadn’t blossomed the way many had hoped it would before the season, according to sources.
Zimmer complained openly in coaching meetings about Cousins, and some of Zimmer’s top lieutenants echoed the sentiment. Zimmer didn’t feel the quarterback made enough “winning plays,” that he didn’t take the necessary shots to help lead the Vikings to victory, and that he didn’t elevate his teammates.
But that view wasn’t shared by everyone. Some, especially in the front office, thought Zimmer didn’t handle the situation well. They acknowledged to Zimmer that Cousins isn’t a perfect quarterback but felt Zimmer’s job as head coach was to get the most out of the quarterback — and undercutting his play in coaching meetings didn’t help.
The Vikings hope that drama is in the past. Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were fired, replaced by Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. But the failed relationship between Zimmer and Cousins underscores a troubling point that the Vikings will have to grapple with under a new regime. Cousins has had two head coaches in his seven years as a starter, and both coaches left convinced they couldn’t win with him at the helm.
Now the attention turns to O’Connell. The Vikings have intimated that they hired the former Rams offensive coordinator with the hope that his scheme can get the best out of Cousins, even if rumors about a potential Cousins trade will surely swirl here this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
If Cousins indeed remains with the Vikings as they’ve suggested he will, there’s no more important relationship within the franchise than O’Connell and Cousins. O’Connell has talked about an approach that would maximize Cousins’ talents, allowing him to play free and “quiet-minded.”
Perhaps he can find success with Cousins where Zimmer and former Washington coach Jay Gruden couldn’t. Zimmer left their relationship thinking that Cousins wasn’t good enough to win big. Gruden left frustrated that Cousins wouldn’t fit the ball into tight windows. Neither thought they were on the cusp of a Super Bowl with Cousins at quarterback.
Of course, it’s fair to note that not every assistant coach Cousins has worked with feels that way. Kyle Shanahan, Cousins’ former offensive coordinator, remains high on the quarterback and tried to land him in San Francisco after Shanahan became the head coach there. He liked Cousins’ accuracy and ability to process plays. He felt he needed a quarterback who comprehended both what the offense and defense were doing and could make the necessary throws after making the right reads. He thought Cousins could do all of that.
Maybe that’s why it’s enticing to picture Cousins with O’Connell, a Sean McVay disciple who shares similar philosophies with Shanahan. O’Connell helped squeeze success out of Jared Goff and produced a Super Bowl title with Matthew Stafford. His playbook is designed to make life easy for the quarterback. He said in his very first interview with the Vikings that his goal would be to bring the best out of Cousins, and it seems easier to trust that he’d be capable of that than Gruden or Zimmer.
“I know who (Cousins) is as a player, and I know what he’s capable of, and part of our job as coaches is maximizing a player’s ability to go out every single Sunday and have success,” O’Connell said. “I feel that’s going to be an advantage for us as we build our system offensively, make sure we really focus on the things Kirk does well, which I do think are a lot of aspects of playing the position, and help him on a daily basis connect with his team, lead us, be a completely quiet-minded quarterback that can go play because he’s talented enough to go do that.”
On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore how things ended with Cousins’ last two coaches.
There’s also the open question about Cousins’ contract. He has one year remaining on a deal that includes a $45 million cap hit this season, something that makes it hardly ideal to bring him back at that price. An extension, which could lower that number, is possible, but Cousins has offered no indication that he’d be willing to sign at a discount. Perhaps no NFL player has done a better job at leveraging his situation for a bigger contract than Cousins has throughout his career. In an offseason where some quarterbacks could sign extensions for more than $40 million per year, a Cousins extension likely wouldn’t come cheap.
The only other alternative is a trade. But with an ownership group advocating for another playoff season amid its goal of continued success, it’s hard to imagine the Vikings dealing him and improving since a Cousins trade would probably yield draft picks as compensation.
So those are the options the Vikings are left to consider as their new brass descends on Indianapolis for its first combine atop the organization.
If they choose to keep Cousins, it’ll be a bet on O’Connell and his ability to break the trend and connect with Cousins in a way that brings the best out of the quarterback. In many ways, he seems capable of that. He’s only three years older than Cousins, he’s a former NFL quarterback and he has spent his coaching career learning a system that’s supposed to make things easier for quarterbacks, one Cousins has previously had success in.
But after the last head coach left disenchanted with the quarterback, there’s no more important relationship for the Vikings than the one between Cousins and O’Connell.
I pay $1 per month to have access to The Athletic. Might be an overcharge.
The veteran defensive guru had made more of an effort to get the best out of Kirk Cousins in 2021, conducting weekly meetings with the quarterback for the first time in their four years together. But toward the end, it became clear to those within the building that the head coach-quarterback relationship hadn’t blossomed the way many had hoped it would before the season, according to sources.
Zimmer complained openly in coaching meetings about Cousins, and some of Zimmer’s top lieutenants echoed the sentiment. Zimmer didn’t feel the quarterback made enough “winning plays,” that he didn’t take the necessary shots to help lead the Vikings to victory, and that he didn’t elevate his teammates.
But that view wasn’t shared by everyone. Some, especially in the front office, thought Zimmer didn’t handle the situation well. They acknowledged to Zimmer that Cousins isn’t a perfect quarterback but felt Zimmer’s job as head coach was to get the most out of the quarterback — and undercutting his play in coaching meetings didn’t help.
The Vikings hope that drama is in the past. Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were fired, replaced by Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. But the failed relationship between Zimmer and Cousins underscores a troubling point that the Vikings will have to grapple with under a new regime. Cousins has had two head coaches in his seven years as a starter, and both coaches left convinced they couldn’t win with him at the helm.
Now the attention turns to O’Connell. The Vikings have intimated that they hired the former Rams offensive coordinator with the hope that his scheme can get the best out of Cousins, even if rumors about a potential Cousins trade will surely swirl here this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
If Cousins indeed remains with the Vikings as they’ve suggested he will, there’s no more important relationship within the franchise than O’Connell and Cousins. O’Connell has talked about an approach that would maximize Cousins’ talents, allowing him to play free and “quiet-minded.”
Perhaps he can find success with Cousins where Zimmer and former Washington coach Jay Gruden couldn’t. Zimmer left their relationship thinking that Cousins wasn’t good enough to win big. Gruden left frustrated that Cousins wouldn’t fit the ball into tight windows. Neither thought they were on the cusp of a Super Bowl with Cousins at quarterback.
Of course, it’s fair to note that not every assistant coach Cousins has worked with feels that way. Kyle Shanahan, Cousins’ former offensive coordinator, remains high on the quarterback and tried to land him in San Francisco after Shanahan became the head coach there. He liked Cousins’ accuracy and ability to process plays. He felt he needed a quarterback who comprehended both what the offense and defense were doing and could make the necessary throws after making the right reads. He thought Cousins could do all of that.
Maybe that’s why it’s enticing to picture Cousins with O’Connell, a Sean McVay disciple who shares similar philosophies with Shanahan. O’Connell helped squeeze success out of Jared Goff and produced a Super Bowl title with Matthew Stafford. His playbook is designed to make life easy for the quarterback. He said in his very first interview with the Vikings that his goal would be to bring the best out of Cousins, and it seems easier to trust that he’d be capable of that than Gruden or Zimmer.
“I know who (Cousins) is as a player, and I know what he’s capable of, and part of our job as coaches is maximizing a player’s ability to go out every single Sunday and have success,” O’Connell said. “I feel that’s going to be an advantage for us as we build our system offensively, make sure we really focus on the things Kirk does well, which I do think are a lot of aspects of playing the position, and help him on a daily basis connect with his team, lead us, be a completely quiet-minded quarterback that can go play because he’s talented enough to go do that.”
On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore how things ended with Cousins’ last two coaches.
There’s also the open question about Cousins’ contract. He has one year remaining on a deal that includes a $45 million cap hit this season, something that makes it hardly ideal to bring him back at that price. An extension, which could lower that number, is possible, but Cousins has offered no indication that he’d be willing to sign at a discount. Perhaps no NFL player has done a better job at leveraging his situation for a bigger contract than Cousins has throughout his career. In an offseason where some quarterbacks could sign extensions for more than $40 million per year, a Cousins extension likely wouldn’t come cheap.
The only other alternative is a trade. But with an ownership group advocating for another playoff season amid its goal of continued success, it’s hard to imagine the Vikings dealing him and improving since a Cousins trade would probably yield draft picks as compensation.
So those are the options the Vikings are left to consider as their new brass descends on Indianapolis for its first combine atop the organization.
If they choose to keep Cousins, it’ll be a bet on O’Connell and his ability to break the trend and connect with Cousins in a way that brings the best out of the quarterback. In many ways, he seems capable of that. He’s only three years older than Cousins, he’s a former NFL quarterback and he has spent his coaching career learning a system that’s supposed to make things easier for quarterbacks, one Cousins has previously had success in.
But after the last head coach left disenchanted with the quarterback, there’s no more important relationship for the Vikings than the one between Cousins and O’Connell.
I pay $1 per month to have access to The Athletic. Might be an overcharge.
![[Image: jerry-burns-vikings-003.png]](http://purplejesus.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/jerry-burns-vikings-003.png)
