ORLANDO, Fla. — As they navigate a franchise-altering quarterback transition, the Minnesota Vikings have been cautious to maintain a very powerful participant on their roster totally knowledgeable.
Talking Monday on the NFL’s annual assembly, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell stated he has had common check-ins with star large receiver Justin Jefferson this offseason and located him “excited” in regards to the potential of contributing to the mentorship of a younger quarterback. Extra importantly, O’Connell stated he doesn’t imagine that Jefferson must know the result of the group’s plans earlier than signing a contract extension that the edges have been negotiating for greater than a 12 months.
“Needing to know and being part of a collaborative course of, which Justin is, are two various things,” O’Connell stated. “I’ve felt very strongly about preserving him knowledgeable. He is been within the loop. He is been conscious. He is allowed to articulate issues to me through our relationship, and that is actually been by way of this complete course of.”
Jefferson had a powerful relationship with former quarterback Kirk Cousins. He stated in the course of the season that Cousins’ return in 2024 can be “good,” however stopped wanting insisting on it. Cousins signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons that included way more totally assured cash than the Vikings’ provide, and the Vikings responded by signing veteran Sam Darnold and turning their consideration to the 2024 draft.
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Jefferson hasn’t spoken publicly about Cousins’ departure, however O’Connell stated there was fixed communication behind the scenes in regards to the group’s plans.
“Look, the issues that Kirk and Justin had been in a position to do over these final couple years, that is what I can converse to,” O’Connell stated. “Having been right here with these guys once they’ve performed collectively, they’ve completed a number of actually particular issues and that is not misplaced on me and that is not misplaced on Justin. However Justin … did step right into a management position final 12 months. He turned a first-time captain. I feel he is enthusiastic about that, what which means for him shifting ahead, actually being a pillar of management in our group and that is how I deal with him.
“That is how our conversations and our communication go and I feel the quarterback place, the trail that we’ll go, I feel he is enthusiastic about attending to spend a while and work with Sam along with our different quarterbacks after which what this might seem like to possibly be part of serving to mentor a younger quarterback.
“I feel it is a fairly particular time and I do know Justin’s taking a look at it like that as nicely, and my hope is we get his contract completed and brought care of and he continues to be that pillar, that pillar of management that I have a look at him as inside our group.”
Earlier this month, the Vikings acquired the No. 23 total choose from the Houston Texans to provide themselves choices as they take into account a possible commerce up from their unique spot at No. 11 total. Normal supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has stated “there is a most popular state of affairs” for a way subsequent month’s draft will play out, however O’Connell joined him Monday in noting that the group cannot merely will itself to maneuver up.
“There’s rather a lot that goes into that,” O’Connell stated. “We’d like one other group to be complicit in that motion to go get a kind of guys, if that finally ends up being the plan. However I’m excited to form of see this course of by way of and see if we will probably add our quarterback sooner or later to that room.”
To that finish, O’Connell stated he has spent important time structuring his teaching workers for the potential of working with Darnold whereas additionally growing a rookie quarterback. O’Connell will switch a few of his weekly duties to offensive coordinator Wes Phillips in order that he can spend extra time with quarterbacks alongside new place coach Josh McCown.
O’Connell will proceed to name performs on recreation day.
“I wish to be an extension of the quarterback growth in our constructing,” O’Connell stated. “I wish to play a serious position and a think about that as a result of it is one thing that I like greater than something, and being able to have an effect on that place is one thing which means rather a lot to me.”
