Vikings' Kirk Cousins: Gets vote of confidence from new HC

New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that he anticipates that Cousins will be a part of the team's plans in 2022, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Cousins is entering the final year of his contract with the Vikings and has been linked to trade rumors early in the offseason, in part because of the $45 million cap hit that the deal carries in 2022. However, he's been a consistent player under center across his first four seasons in Minnesota, as he's passed for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in three of those years while throwing no more than 13 interceptions in any season. O'Connell previously worked with Cousins when he was the quarterbacks coach in Washington during the 2017 campaign, and the offensive-minded coach plans to call plays for the first time to begin his tenure with the Vikings.