What we learned about the Vikings during divisional round

Kirk Cousins deserves much of the credit for the Vikings’ success this season and his partnership with O’Connell worked better than many expected. Cousins’ decision to throw short of the sticks on fourth down ended the Vikings’ chances to beat the Giants, but he also put together a strong performance in that game.

None of this erases the fact that one of the main reasons O’Connell was hired was to help the Vikings find their quarterback of the future.

That process needs to be in motion as Cousins gets set to enter the last season of his contract in 2023, although there is a chance he could sign another one-year extension. The issue is the price tag that would go with that agreement and what it would do to impede the team’s ability to improve at other positions.

Cousins will turn 35 in August. None of the quarterbacks playing in the divisional round were 30, with Dallas’ Dak Prescott being the closest at 29.

Trevor Lawrence and Brock Purdy are 23, Jalen Hurts is 24, Daniel Jones is 25, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow are 26 and Patrick Mahomes is 27. All were drafted by the team they are playing for and only Mahomes eats up more than 10 percent of his team’s salary cap.

Cousins’ $31.4 million salary cap hit in 2022 accounted for 15 percent of the Vikings’ cap and next season that figure will increase to $36.3 million and 16.4 percent.

A young, mobile and much cheaper quarterback would enable the Vikings to address more areas of need and also reward wide receiver Justin Jefferson and others with rich paydays.

Having a successful quarterback on a rookie contract is a huge advantage and it’s up to Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to make that happen.