Head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings are currently looking for their franchise quarterback of
the future after former starter Kirk Cousins unexpectedly left the organization this offseason to join the Atlanta Falcons. Of course, Cousins missed more than half of the recently concluded 2023-24 NFL season due to a devastating Achilles tear, forcing O’Connell to rely on a motley crew of backups to get them through the season, but the Vikings organization hoped Cousins would be back and healthy, ready to go in 2024-25.
Now, all eyes will naturally turn to the upcoming NFL Draft in April, and if O’Connell’s recent comments on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show are any indicator, the team may attempt to select its next quarterback straight away.
“I think it’s important that if you end up falling in love with multiple quarterbacks in the draft, that’s an even better thing,” O’Connell told Pat McAfee on X, the social networking platform formerly known as Twitter. “You know, especially when you do something like what we did to get pick 23 for the flexibility of what we believe is a very solid selection. Everyone seems to be focusing on the quarterback position. I believe that’s true. Two picks, this
A crossroads for the Vikings
Coming into the 2023 season, the Vikings were hoping to build on a somewhat successful 2022 season, which resulted in the team making the playoffs but losing in devastating way at home to the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card round.
Instead, Cousins suffered an Achilles injury, and standout receiver Justin Jefferson battled injuries throughout the season, making 2023 a lost season for coach O’Connell and his staff. At one point, it appeared like Joshua Dobbs, who was brought in from the Arizona Cardinals to serve as the team’s backup quarterback in Cousins’ absence, would lead the team’s resurgence, which began with a shock road victory over the Atlanta Falcons. That