The Minnesota Vikings had a disappointing 2023 season. Injuries derailed them every step of the way as consistency on the field was fleeting all season. The biggest injury they had to overcome was to quarterback Kirk Cousins, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers.
The team relied on Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall to fill the void without him. None could step up and keep the team afloat, resulting in a 7-10 season. Figuring out what to do with Cousins, who is a free agent, is near the top of the Vikings’ to-do list this offseason.
That decision will impact Minnesota for years to come. Cousins has proven capable of being a franchise quarterback and if they opt to move on from him, there isn’t an immediate replacement ready to step into the starting spot on the roster.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings Updates
It could also put head coach Kevin O’Connell on the hot seat. While there has been zero indication that is the case right now, another losing season could certainly have ownership thinking about making a change.
Could future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick be someone on their list of potential targets? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes the Vikings are a team to keep an eye on should Belichick not get hired during this year’s head coach cycle.
“The Vikings are there for a very simple reason,” Florio wrote. “Owner Zygi Wilf was a huge Giants fan before buying the Vikings. It’s not crazy to envision Zygi and Mark Wilf becoming smitten with the idea of giving Belichick a chance to take the just-good-enough Vikings to the top of the mountain the franchise has been trying to climb for more than 50 years.”
Belichick looked to be in the running for only one job opening this offseason after parting ways with the New England Patriots. He had multiple interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, but they opted to hire Raheem Morris instead.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings Updates
Differences in how much power he would have when it came to player personnel were part of the reason Atlanta went in a different direction. Belichick wanted more but the Falcons were unwilling to give it to him.
The Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders still have job openings, but Belichick hasn’t been linked to either team. In Florio’s opinion, that could signal trouble for someone such as O’Connell with the Vikings as ownership could be compelled to bring in arguably the greatest head coach of all time next offseason.
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