The quarterback issue is clearly the most prominent problem on the board for the Minnesota Vikings and their new administration, but it is hardly the only one.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and soon-to-be head coach Kevin O’Connell have surely shared their assessment of Kirk Cousins with each other, and there’s every reason to believe that they are in agreement. If not, why would the Vikings have hired O’Connell? Do they want Adofo-Mensah to start his career as the front man for the organization by arguing with a new head coach? That would be a ridiculous way for the general manager to start his tenure with the team.
Both have indicated a positive impression regarding Cousins, but that does not necessarily reveal their true feelings about the quarterback. Cousins comes with the kind of price tag ($45 million in salary cap and bonus, as well as a cap hit of the same amount) that makes it prohibitive to cut him, so the only choices are keeping him or trading him.
If the choice is the latter, the Vikings will have to build up his value to potential trade partners. Additionally, the Vikings are also going to have to retain some of that massive salary. It is very unlikely any team would want Cousins and have to absorb the full salary-cap hit.
But the Vikings can’t absorb most of the hit or they could be even worse off than they are with him. They are under tremendous cap pressure, and that means it will be very difficult for Adofo-Mensah to bring in the kind of talent on defense and the offensive line needed to turn the team into a legitimate contender for the NFC North title.
The division could be wide open if Aaron Rodgers leaves the Packers or decides to hang up his cleats. If that sounds like the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions are being dismissed, that’s because they are, to some degree.
The Bears are in the same position as the Vikings in that they have a new general manager and head coach, but they don’t have the same kind of skill-position talent that the Vikings will have in 2022. The Lions still have miles to go before they will any kind of threat in the NFC North.
The combination of running back Dalvin Cook along with wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are as good as nearly any team as long as the threesome is healthy.
That was not always the case in 2021 as Thielen ended the season on the injured list and Cook missed four games and was not always 100 percent. But when all three are in the lineup, the Vikings have a chance to be formidable.
Once the quarterback issue is decided, the Vikings will also have to build the depth on their offensive line and reconstitute the defense.
The defense was supposed to be former head coach Mike Zimmer’s strength, but it was brutal in 2020 and not much better last season.
The defensive line has a chance to be better in 2022 if Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen are both healthy, but Adofo-Mensah can’t count on that. Hunter, one of the best pass rushers in the league when he was at his peak, missed all of the 2020 season because of a herniated disc in his neck and played in just seven games in 2021 as a result of torn pectoral muscle.
Hunter is 27 and should be at the peak of his career, but it won’t happen if he can’t stay healthy. Griffen is 34 and can’t be counted on as a regular performer at this point. It seems like he is a longshot to continue his career in Minnesota at this point.
The other area that the Vikings must address is their secondary. It has been a huge deficit for the team in the last two seasons. Finding experienced talent that can step in and contribute at a high level right away is perhaps the most important issue after the quarterback issue.
Quarterback, defensive line and the secondary are the biggest issues, followed by depth on the offensive line. These areas have to be attacked as the offseason continues.
