Kevin O'Connell Addresses Kirk Cousins' Future Amid Injury, Free Agency

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he wants quarterback Kirk Cousins to return to the team amid his season-ending injury and upcoming free agency.

"Yeah, you guys know how I feel about Kirk. Kirk knows how I feel about Kirk," O'Connell said Tuesday, via ESPN. "I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League and one of the hardest parts about coping with this ... [is] the fact that he was experiencing his best season in the National Football League and where we could have gone as a team. Hopefully, we are still going to get to that place. But I know without Kirk Cousins and that high level quarterback play we were getting from him week in and week out, it's going a challenge, but one that we've got to accept and try to thrive."

Cousins suffered an Achilles tendon tear during Sunday's (October 29) game against the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings officially announced following an MRI Monday (October 30) morning.

"Kirk Cousins underwent an MRI this morning at Twin Cities Orthopedics that confirmed an Achilles tendon tear. The timeline and details of his upcoming surgery will be determined this week. The team will continue to provide updates," the Vikings wrote on their social media accounts.

The veteran quarterback was seen hopping on one foot toward the Vikings' bench in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game after suffering a non-contact injury. Rookie Jaren Hall played the remainder of the game and threw for 23 yards on 3 of 4 passing.

Cousins threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns on 23 of 31 passing prior to exiting the game. The 35-year-old entered Week 3 with the third-most passing yards (2,057) and second-most passing touchdowns (16) among all NFL quarterbacks.

Hall will start at quarterback against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday (November 5) in Cousins' absence. The Vikings also acquired veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday (October 31).

O'Connell had previously worked with Cousins as a quarterbacks coach in 2017 during their shared tenure with the now-Washington Commanders prior to being hired as the Vikings' head coach ahead of the 2022 NFL season.