Kevin O’Connell: I’m excited to coach Kirk Cousins

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New Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell says he’s eager to coach Kirk Cousins.

Asked today if Cousins will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in 2022, O’Connell indicated that he will be.

“I know he’s under contract and I’m excited to coach him. We’ve already started thinking about how we’re going to build those systems for him and our other quarterbacks,” O’Connell said. “I’m anticipating Kirk being a part of what we do.”

New Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also said he is planning the offseason with the expectation that they’re building an offense around Cousins.

O’Connell comes to Minnesota after winning the Super Bowl as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, and he previously spent a year as Cousins’ quarterbacks coach in Washington. O’Connell said that Cousins is an elite thrower who reminds him of Matthew Stafford.

“Matthew Stafford is one of the most talented players I’ve ever been around,” O’Connell said. “I see Kirk being able to do a lot of those things.”

The Vikings would love to see O’Connell have the kind of success with Cousins that he had with Stafford.