Questions Answered: Todd Bowles Status, Daboll off the Board, Cousins Decision Timeline

Dustin Baker |

Jan 29, 2022

Kyle Zedaker/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports

The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today’s is the January 29th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].

Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.

Q: Todd Bowles was my guy for the next Vikings coach. Is he still in the mix?

A: His stock cooled.

There’s nothing wrong with him, but his ties to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are nonexistent.

For what it's worth, I'm told Tampa Bay defensive coordinator and former head coach Todd Bowles, one of 8 candidates to have coach virtual interviews with the #Vikings before Kwesi Adofo-Mehsah was hired as general manager, hasn't had any dealings with Adofo-Mensah in his career.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 28, 2022

The men in the mix now the job — like DeMeco Ryans or Patrick Graham, for example — have some sort of ties to Adofo-Mensah. Connections like that matter in a coaching search. And this isn’t like nepotism the Vikings experienced amid the last few years — these are tangible networking links between humans.

Based on the “Tomlin type” Vikings ownership craves, DeMeco Ryans or Raheem Morris are probably frontrunners.

Q: You guys endorsed Brian Daboll for the next HC. He’s off the board. Now who’s your pick?

A: While the endorsement of Daboll wasn’t unanimous among our writers, he was the candidate most mentioned.

So, we pivot to Kevin O’Connell, chiefly because an offense-first mind would be a change of pace for the Vikings. Between Leslie Frazier and Mike Zimmer, we’ve seen the defense thing for 11 straight seasons. No Super Bowls. They didn’t even reach one. Indeed, we’ll back Ryans or Morris but trying someone linked to Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay — O’Connell is that guy — is a reasonable paradigm shift.

Win, lose, or draw this weekend or in the Super Bowl, O’Connell is intriguing.

Q: The new general manager has to make a decision on Kirk Cousins’ contract. When will it happen?

A: Last year, the Matthew Stafford trade-in-principle news hit on January 31st. That’s this Monday on the 2022 calendar. Adofo-Mensah probably needs a bit more time to formulate Cousins-related next steps, but history shows a deal could shake down soon — if Cousins is traded at all. Adofo-Mensah could easily retain Cousins, opting to surround him with competent pass protection. You know, a novel concept for a pocket passer.

It’s a wishy-washy answer, unfortunately: A trade could happen next week, or this thing could drag all the way to draft day.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).