After losing longtime QB via free agency, the have major shoes to fill at QB.Cousins took snaps as the team's starter for six seasons, making Pro Bowls in three of them and leading the Vikings to the postseason twice. Cousins' consistency in Minnesota netted him a huge payday in and left the Vikes with a trio of unproven signal-callers.But the team's best player, star receiver , is reportedly "excited" about the opportunity to mentor a greenhorn starter, and the Vikings' QB conundrum has not di suaded him from potentially signing a long- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Jersey term deal. (Jefferson is entering the final year of his four-year contract.) Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. ADVERTISEMENT "Needing to know and being a part of a collaborative proce s, which Justin is, are two different things," Vikings head coach . "I've felt very strongly about keeping him informed. He's been in the loop. He's been aware. He's allowed to articulate things DeAndre' Bembry Jersey to me via our relationship, and that's really been through this whole proce s."Jefferson was a proponent of keeping Cousins around, but he didn't go as far as demanding it from the team bra s."Look, the things that Kirk and Justin were able to do over these last couple years, that's what I can speak to," O'Connell said. "Having been here with those guys when they've played together, they've done a lot of really special things and that's not lost on me and that's not lost on Justin. But Justin ... did step into a leadership role last Damon Stoudamire Jersey year. He became a first-time captain. I think he's excited about that, what that means for him moving forward, really being a pillar of leadership in our organization and that's how I treat him."That's how our conversations and our communication go, and I think the quarterback position, the path that we're going to go, I think he's excited about getting to spend some time and work with in addition to our other quarterbacks and then what this could look like to maybe be a part of helping mentor a young quarterback. I think it's a pretty special time and I know Justin' Oshae Brissett Jersey s looking at it like that as well, and my hope is we get his contract done and taken care of, and he continues to be that pillar, that pillar of leadership that I look at him as within our team."The Vikings signed Darnold, who's entering his seventh season with a 21-35 record as a starter, to a one-year $10 million deal in the offseason. With that kind of money, it's likely he'll begin the season as QB1, but Minnesota could also have plans to draft a QB in April.The team acquired the No. 23 overall pick from Houston to give it two first-round selections (it also has the 11th pick). General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said "there's a preferred scenario" regarding its first-round selections, but that's contingent on another team's willingne s to play ball."There's a lot that goes into that," O'Connell said. "We need another Serge Ibaka Jersey team to be complicit in that action to go get one of those guys, if that ends up being the plan. But I am excited to kind of see this proce s through and see if we can potentially add our quarterback in the future to that room."Whatever the Vikings decide, O'Connell's been clear that Jefferson will be a part of it. FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Football League Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson