The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... The Vikings are launching a new era with a fresh leadership duo focused on a collaborative process. Rumblings of a potential split persist, but new HC Kevin O'Connell moved in the opposite direction when asked about Cousins' status with the organization. "Well, I know he's under contract and I'm excited to coach him," O'Connell said. "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 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."

Diehards Line: First up on the to-do list is working together to establish a path forward under center. Cousins is under contract through 2022, carrying with him a cap number of $45 million. If he were to be traded after June 1, Minnesota would clear $35 million in space, but would be left without a clear replacement at quarterback. Still, new GM Kwesi Odofo-Mensah moved in lockstep with O'Connell on the matter Thursday. "Just to reiterate, I'm excited that he's excited to coach him and lead him and we're focused on building the team around him to set us up to succeed the best we can," Odofo-Mensah said. So that settles it: Cousins is in Minnesota's immediate plans. Worth noting: Cousins has performed well above average in his time in Minnesota, finishing with a passer rating of 99.7 or better in each of his four seasons with the Vikings. He posted a 103.1 rating in 2021, compiling a 33-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and has thrown double-digit picks just twice in his four seasons with the Vikings. This is seen as a strength, according to O'Connell, who would also have good reason to be confident in Cousins' ability, having spent a season as Cousins' quarterbacks coach in Washington in 2017.