Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Irvin really thinks Kirk Cousins is going to be the NFL MVP in 2022

The NFL GameDay crew recently decided to predict the player they believe will be the NFL's MVP this season, and maybe it's best that they didn't make all their picks public.

Specifically, Michael Irvin has been watching football on a different planet over the past few seasons. That, or he really (REALLY) believes in Minnesota Vikings first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell.

O'Connell must be something special because Irvin seems to believe that he'll be the secret sauce that gets Kirk Cousins to play not just like a good quarterback, but as an elite one.

Aaron Rodgers, a four-time MVP and winner of two straight, is sort of a no-brainer pick at this point, and both Josh Allen and Joe Burrow are young up-and-comers with MVPs in their near future.

Cousins, though? 

MVP?

Really?

Look, this is not meant to be disrespectful to Cousins. He's made some good money in the league and he's a solid NFL starter. With the right pieces around him — like strong offensive weapons and an elite defense — he could certainly win a Super Bowl. And sure, he'll have Dalvin Cook in the backfield and a superstar wideout in Justin Jefferson to throw the ball too... but two great weapons an MVP doesn't make. That's especially true when we're talking about a quarterback who rarely shows up for big games and has thrown 91 interceptions in his career compared to 223 touchdowns. That's awful close to a 1-to-1 ratio.

Irvin has football chops, there's no doubting that. He's swinging for the fences with this take, though, and he's more likely than not to be disappointed by backing Kirk Cousins.

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