Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings star Dalvin Cook will wear No. 4 this season after making a promise to his late father, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

Cook wore No. 4 while at Florida State but has been No. 33 during his five-year NFL career.

The league changed its rules last season that restricted what numbers players could wear, although those who made the switch had to buy out the remaining inventory of unsold jerseys. Cook considered making a change last offseason but changed his mind after reportedly having to pay $1.5 million, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The 26-year-old will now make the change without penalty.

"Mentally, I'm better when I'm wearing 4," he told reporters Tuesday.

Cook has earned Pro Bowl selections in each of the past three years, yet he promised an improvement with a new jersey number.

"You're going to see another version you've never seen before," Cook said. "Something special."

Quarterback Kirk Cousins said Monday he signed an extension with the Minnesota Vikings with an eye toward retiring as a member of the franchise.

"My mindset was really to be a Viking," Cousins told reporters. "I would like to retire as a Viking, and so I would like to play my way into that, if you will. I know I've got to earn the right to do that."

The 33-year-old QB's new contract runs through 2023 and includes a $34.1 million cap hit for 2022 and a $36.3 million cap hit for the following season.

Cousins is a tough case to analyze because his raw stats, which are typically strong, don't always match up with the outside view of his performance.

The Michigan State product has completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 16,387 yards with 124 touchdowns and just 36 interceptions in 63 games across four years as the Vikes' starter. Those numbers aren't indicative of someone on the hot seat.

Yet he's never ranked above 13th in ESPN's Total QBR over that span, and Minnesota has only qualified for the playoffs once during his tenure. The team's record is 33-31-1 since 2018.

The question is whether Cousins isn't a game-changing quarterback or if the Vikings haven't surrounded him with enough talent to emerge as a Super Bowl contender. Perhaps it's a combination of both.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection said Monday he wants his play to provide the answer.

"If I could draw it up, it'd be, 'Play well enough that you never have to play or wear another jersey anywhere else,'" Cousins said. "I'm going to work really hard to try to make that possible."

The former Washington Commanders starter said proving he's the right person for the job starts with elevating his all-around performance on a consistent basis.

"It's staying healthy, it's playing at a high level, it's protecting the football, it's making plays, it's leading your teammates, it's playing with poise, toughness, all the things it takes to be a great quarterback," Cousins said.

The Vikings feature the playmaking talent to rank among the NFL's top offenses, led by running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn.

It's an important year for Cousins if he wants to eliminate uncertainty about his future in Minnesota. Anything less than a playoff appearance would be a disappointment.

Colin Kaepernick served as the honorary captain for Michigan's spring game over the weekend, linking up with his former head coach on the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh. 

But Harbaugh, who interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings job this offseason before returning to the Wolverines, reportedly didn't "propose Kaepernick as a quarterback on the roster when meeting with the Vikings," per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

And according to that report, "the Kaepernick angle did not cause the Vikings to go in a different direction. Putting it another way, Harbaugh isn't the coach of the Vikings for reasons completely unrelated to his views on Kaepernick."

Alongside being the honorary captain, Kaepernick also threw to draft-eligible Wolverines during halftime of the spring game, serving as a showcase for NFL scouts. 

Colin Kaepernick’s final pass today today at Michigan’s Maize and Blue Spring Game.

📹 @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/y9pvu3iGZC

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2022

Kaepernick said he was just hoping to get another chance to play football:

“What do you hope to accomplish?”

“A shot”, a chance, an opportunity”
— Colin Kaepernick https://t.co/xoN95MqiR4

— #StopCopCity (@ChuckModi1) April 2, 2022

I spoke with Colin Kaepernick on the sideline after his throwing exhibition at Michigan.

He said he can absolutely still play in the NFL. I asked what is your message to NFL teams: "I can help make you a better team. I can help you win games." pic.twitter.com/rUQTG562D7

— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) April 2, 2022

I'm told Colin Kaepernick has informed others that he's open to accepting even a back-up QB role--if* that's what it takes--to facilitate a return to the #NFL, per league source. "You have to credit Jim Harbaugh that he's willing to help his former player to try to get back."

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 1, 2022

Kaepernick, 34, last played in the NFL in 2016, when he became a national story for kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before NFL games to protest police brutality and racism. 

He went unsigned the following offseason and ever since, even suing the NFL alongside teammate Eric Reid for colluding to keep him out of the league. That lawsuit was settled out of court in 2019.  

NFL’s problem with Kaepernick has never been just about his singular protest. The great fear among owners is that he would arrive in a locker room and inspire teammates to speak up about social issues and join in protest. His presence inspires others to follow their conscience.

— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) April 2, 2022

During his NFL career, Kaepernick played under Harbaugh between the 2011-14 seasons. Harbaugh then departed for Michigan, where he's served as the head coach since. 

But Harbaugh flirted with the Vikings this offseason, interviewing with the team before Minnesota ultimately hired former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell. The Vikings reportedly never made Harbaugh an offer despite meeting with him for nine hours in February, per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. 

Veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson announced on his All Things Covered podcast on Wednesday that he is returning to the Minnesota Vikings.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, he'll return on a one-year deal. 

Peterson gets a $1.5m signing bonus, a $2m guaranteed base salary and $500k in per-game roster bonuses. That’s the $4m base value of the deal from the #Vikings.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 31, 2022

The 31-year-old spent the 2021 season with the Vikings, registering 45 tackles, an interception and five passes defensed across 13 games.

Patrick Peterson on remaining with the #Vikings. "It feels great." He has been saying regularly that he wanted to return.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 30, 2022

Patrick Peterson on re-signing with #Vikings."There's a good group of guys in the locker room. ... I just felt it was right." Said the team is really improving.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 30, 2022

It was a change of scenery for the eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection, who spent the first 10 years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. And he has clearly found a home in Minnesota. 

"If he stays healthy, he could be in a Vikings uniform for a few more years," his cousin and All Things Covered podcast co-host, Bryant McFadden, told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press in December. "He loves Minnesota. He's really embraced [it]."

The team's star young wideout, Justin Jefferson, spoke highly of Peterson during the 2021 season. 

"I mean, he's the best of the best. Going up against him every single day helps me progress as a receiver—just asking him different ways to better myself, better my route, what things did he see in my route to trigger him to jump?" he told the team's website in December. "He's taught me a lot, and I'm looking pretty good this season because of him."

Even with the Vikings rebuilding after firing former head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman this offseason, the LSU product is clearly in the plans of new head coach Kevin O'Connell and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Peterson is no longer in his prime or one of the game's true elite superstars at the position, but retaining him is good news for Minnesota's secondary heading into the 2022 campaign. 

The Minnesota Vikings are keeping Kirk Cousins under center through at least 2023.

Minnesota announced Sunday that the two sides had agreed to an extension, with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reporting the NFC North team signed him to a one-year, $35 million fully guaranteed extension. Cousins also reportedly landed a no-trade clause in the extension.

Now that that’s out of the way…let’s get to work on a Lombardi #LetsFrickinGo 😁

— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) March 14, 2022

Minnesota hired a new head coach (Kevin O'Connell) and general manager (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) this offseason after having tried and failed for the last five years to win a Super Bowl.

Despite this decision, nobody has better symbolized the Vikings' inability to get over the hump than Cousins.

He was supposed to be the final piece for a squad that won 13 games and reached the conference championship in 2017. Instead, the three-time Pro Bowler has presided over just one trip to the postseason since.

The version of Cousins in Washington and him in Minnesota are almost mirror images:

• Washington: 62 games, 16,206 passing yards, 99 touchdowns, 55 interceptions, 65.5 percent completion rate, 93.7 QB rating
• Minnesota: 63 games, 16,387 passing yards, 124 touchdowns, 36 interceptions, 68.3 percent completion rate, 103.5 QB rating

The 33-year-old failed to make meaningful improvement with the Vikings despite having a supporting cast that included Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs and then Justin Jefferson in Diggs' place.

Over the last four years, here's where the team finished in offensive efficiency at Football Outsiders: 18th, 10th, eighth and 16th. That's not good enough for a unit that had the talent at Minnesota's disposal.

After succeeding Mike Zimmer as coach, O'Connell said all the right things about Cousins and his short-term future, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin:

Well, 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 and really the tremendous skill group that we have, our guys up front. It takes all 11 to move the football on offense, to run it, to throw it, to score points in the red zone. But I'm anticipating Kirk being a part of what we do.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Feb. 18 that the Vikings were approaching the offseason with the idea that Cousins would be the starter:

From NFL Now: The #Vikings are all about Kirk Cousins. pic.twitter.com/SgOhd6nhrU

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 18, 2022

There was also the $45 million question about whether any other team would be prepared to assume his sizable salary-cap hit for 2022. Only Matt Ryan ($48.7 million) and Aaron Rodgers ($46.7 million) were slated to count for more against the cap.

Much like with Jimmy Garoppolo, the problem with Cousins isn't that he's a bad quarterback. He threw for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2021.

But when you're attempting to contend for a title, Cousins—as with Garoppolo—might limit your ceiling or shrink your margin for error.

Still, the Vikings apparently have not seen enough of him even though they selected Kellen Mond in the third round of the 2021 draft in what seemed to be a sign the previous regime was wavering on Cousins long-term.

Granted, Zimmer's comments on Mond in January indicated either he hadn't been on board with the decision to select the former Texas A&M star or that Mond wasn't the player the Vikings thought they were getting.

That means Cousins will be under center once again as the Vikings look to parlay some of that talent into a deep playoff run.

Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer reportedly did not have much faith in Kirk Cousins by the end of last season.

"Zimmer complained openly in coaching meetings about Cousins, and some of Zimmer’s top lieutenants echoed the sentiment," Chad Graff of The Athletic reported. "Zimmer didn’t feel the quarterback made enough 'winning plays,' that he didn't take the necessary shots to help lead the Vikings to victory, and that he didn’t elevate his teammates."

Zimmer was fired after finishing with an 8-9 record in 2021, missing the playoffs for the second straight season. The Vikings went 72-56-1 in eight seasons under Zimmer.

Cousins is coming off his fourth year in Minnesota, producing impressive numbers during this stretch with 124 passing touchdowns and a 103.5 passer rating.

In 2021, the quarterback was an injury replacement in the Pro Bowl after recording 4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. But the offense lacked consistency, finishing 14th in points.

The Vikings have just one playoff appearance with Cousins as their starter, resulting in one wild-card win. A year before Cousins arrived, Minnesota reached the NFC Championship Game behind journeyman quarterback Case Keenum.

Cousins will now enter the 2022 season with a $45 million cap hit, the third-highest in the NFL, per Spotrac. 

This puts pressure on new head coach Kevin O'Connell to get more out of the 33-year-old in order to bring the squad back into contention.

O'Connell has worked with Cousins before, serving as a quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders in 2017. That could lead to a better relationship between the two sides following Zimmer's exit.     

The Carolina Panthers have reportedly called the Minnesota Vikings about trading for quarterback Kirk Cousins, but conversations have gone "nowhere so far."

That's the word from Judd Zulgad of SKOR North on Purple Daily Monday (h/t Anthony Rizzuti of Panthers Wire), who said the following regarding the Panthers' reported interest in the 33-year-old:

“They have gotten a call. Now, from what I’ve heard, it went nowhere so far. But it’s interesting that the phone did ring at TCO [Stadium] in Eagen and on the other end of the line...the Carolina Panthers.

Quarterback-desperate. Panicked, I’m sure. I think if Matt Rhule and the Panthers don’t have a successful 2022, he’s probably going to be fired 'cause that has not worked out. They cast their lot, in 2021, with Sam Darnold—didn’t work out. And so I’ve heard that the Panthers...now the Vikings supposedly said ‘Hey, let’s put a pin in that conversation. We don’t plan to move him now.'

Cousins has one year and $45 million ($35 million base salary, $10 million prorated bonus) left on his contract.

The three-time Pro Bowler completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 33 touchdowns (seven interceptions) and 7.5 yards per attempt last season.

The Panthers have played quarterback roulette ever since Matt Rhule arrived in Charlotte to be the team's head coach in 2020.

Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold and Cam Newton have all started games, but the team doesn't appear to have found its long-term starter. The trio of Darnold, Newton and Walker notably threw 21 interceptions and 14 touchdowns last year.

Cousins would be an upgrade at quarterback, although he wouldn't come cheap.

Reporter Jordan Schultz already stated that Cousins has "zero intention" of taking a pay cut for the Vikings and that an extension could cost the Vikings around $40 million per season.

As for the Vikings, they have some big decisions to make as a new general manager (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) and head coach (Kevin O'Connell) take over the reins in Minneapolis. Most importantly, there's the question of what to do with Cousins, who will be a free agent in 2023.

He's been the Vikings' quarterback since 2018 and finished top 10 in both Football Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted over average) and DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) over the past three seasons.

At the very least, it appears he's sticking around in 2022. 

"We've already started thinking about how we're going to build those systems for him and our other quarterbacks and really the tremendous skill group that we have, our guys up front," O'Connell said at his introductory press conference.

"It takes all 11 to move the football on offense, to run it, to throw it, to score points in the red zone. But I'm anticipating Kirk being a part of what we do."

For now, Cousins remains a Viking, and the Panthers remain in quarterback limbo.

New Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is reportedly bringing a key Los Angeles Rams assistant with him up north.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Vikings are planning to hire Rams passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Wes Phillips as their offensive coordinator.

Rapoport noted that Phillips' role with the Rams under O'Connell is likely to "mirror" what O'Connell did as the Rams' OC under head coach Sean McVay.

McVay, O'Connell and Phillips were all part of the Rams' coaching staff that led L.A. to a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

The 43-year-old Phillips broke into the coaching ranks at the college level and notably served as the quarterbacks coach at Baylor in 2006 before making the move to the NFL.

He spent seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys in a multitude of roles, including offensive quality control coach, assistant offensive line coach and tight ends coach.

Phillips then served as the Washington Commanders' tight ends coach from 2014-18 before McVay hired him to take on the same role with the Rams in 2019.

McVay elevated him to passing game coordinator this past season in addition to the continuation of his role as tight ends coach.

The L.A. passing game thrived in 2021 following the acquisition of quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions.

With Phillips serving as passing game coordinator, Stafford threw for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Also, Cooper Kupp enjoyed one of the greatest seasons ever by an NFL wide receiver with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, all of which led the league.

Phillips will have plenty of talent to work with in Minnesota as well, including running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.

He will also be tasked with helping veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins get the Vikes back to the playoffs after missing out in each of the past two seasons.

Cousins is a divisive figure among fans, but he was named a Pro Bowler for the third time last season and completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Phillips has coaching in his genes, as his father Wade Phillips was head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and Cowboys in addition to being defensive coordinator for several teams.

Also, his grandfather Bum Phillips was an NFL head coach for 11 seasons with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints.

While Wade and Bum were both defensive coaches, Wes Phillips his carving out his own path on the offensive side of the ball, and he has the biggest opportunity of his career ahead of him in Minnesota.

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said he's confident the team will win its first Super Bowl title during his tenure alongside wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

"We gon' win us one," Cook told TMZ Sports in an interview released Sunday, though he wouldn't put an exact timetable on bringing a championship to the Twin Cities. "We gon' win us one. Yeah."

Cook, Jefferson and wideout Adam Thielen combined to create one of the NFL's most productive playmaking trios in 2021 as they scored 26 total touchdowns.

Their strong performance didn't lead to consistent team success, however, as the Vikings missed the playoffs with an 8-9 record.

Minnesota has reached the postseason twice since Cook was drafted in 2017. It reached the NFC Championship Game during his rookie year and made it to the divisional round in 2019. Jefferson joined the roster in 2020 and has quickly emerged as one of the NFL's top receivers.

The Vikes are hoping a coaching change can bring an end to their brief two-year playoff drought. They hired former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as their new head coach to replace Mike Zimmer, who was fired in January after eight years in charge.

"I hope to bring a lot of those characteristics to our football team here that he's instilled that just helped us win a world championship," O'Connell told reporters about working under Rams head coach Sean McVay following the team's triumph in Super Bowl LVI last weekend.

Cook, Jefferson and Thielen are all under team control through at least 2024, so the biggest question in the Vikings' pursuit of a championship is whether Kirk Cousins is the answer at quarterback. He's under contract for next season, so he'll likely get one more year to prove he's the right person for the job, but the team could move in a new direction next offseason if the results don't improve.

Ultimately, the Vikings have the offensive playmaking talent to make a serious championship push over the next couple of years, but there's work to do elsewhere on the roster to reach that goal.

If the Minnesota Vikings want to extend quarterback Kirk Cousins' contract, they can reportedly expect to pay top dollar to do so.

Per reporter Jordan Schultz, Cousins has "zero intention" of taking a pay cut, and an extension could cost the Vikings around $40 million per season.

The Vikings need to make some moves this offseason to get under the salary cap. They are $14.7 million over the 2022 cap, per Spotrac. 

Cousins has the highest 2022 cap hit on the team and the third-highest among NFL quarterbacks ($45 million). He is entering the final season of the two-year, $66 million extension he signed in 2020.

Xavier Woods, Tyler Conklin and Anthony Barr are among Minnesota's key free agents.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported Thursday that Cousins' camp could "try to force the Vikings' hand by not wanting to go back to the negotiating table just yet" to either play out his deal or force a trade.

New head coach Kevin O'Connell said during his introductory press conference Thursday that he is "excited to coach" Cousins in 2022:

We've already started thinking about how we're going to build those systems for him and our other quarterbacks and really the tremendous skill group that we have, our guys up front. It takes all 11 to move the football on offense, to run it, to throw it, to score points in the red zone. But I'm anticipating Kirk being a part of what we do.

Cousins just finished his fourth season with the Vikings. The three-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 16,387 yards and 124 touchdowns in 63 starts since 2018.

He ranked ninth in the NFL with 4,221 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in 2021. The Vikings finished second in the NFC North with an 8-9 record but missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.