On Tuesday, the Vikings worked the phones and ultimately found a new starting quarterback in Kirk Cousins. On Wednesday, the work began to get Cousins up to speed.

Although G.M. Nolan Teasley deferred to coach Kevin O’Connell as to the new depth chart with Cousins in the room, Teasley also stated the obvious in a press conference with reporters.

“We . . . didn’t acquire Kirk to not play,” Teasley said.

Teasley pointed to various factors that drew the Vikings to a reunion with Cousins, including his familiarity with the offense, the organization, and the coaching staff. Teasley also noted Cousins’s “live arm,” touch, placement, and accuracy.

Teasley also tried to push back against the perception (if not reality) that the Monday night disaster against the Bills prompted a Tuesday fire drill that ended with the trade for Cousins.

“I would tell you that it didn’t,” Teasley said regarding the impact of the Week 9 game on the outcome. “We’ve been looking for ways to improve this football team, again, for weeks. And we just followed the process. It was a wide net that we were casting. And ultimately this is what we landed on, and this was the right move for this point in time.”

Right, but it’s hard not to make the connection between Monday night’s showing and the Tuesday trade deadline. Indeed, if the trade deadline hadn’t previously been shifted from the Tuesday after Week 8 to the Tuesday after Week 9, the window may have closed before the Vikings realized how badly they needed to jump through it.

At the end of the day, it’s clear that the Vikings felt compelled to get the most out of what the team currently has.

“This roster has earned the right to explore the potential to maximize where we can take this thing,” Teasley said.

Could Cousins stay with the Vikings beyond the current season?

“There’s always potential for that, but this is really about 2026.” Teasley said. “And that’s where we’re focused. . . . When that time comes we’ll address it.”

For now, they addressed getting more out of the side of the ball that’s struggling mightily.

“We still believe in the potential of the offense,” Teasley said. “There’s a lot of really talented players over there. So this is about doing what’s best for the Vikings in totality.”

Teasley opted not to engage in a hypothetical discussion as to how Cousins impacts the team’s ceiling.

“This is a really good football team,” Teasley said. “We’re 6-2 through eight games, and we just acquired a really good football player.”

While Teasley won’t address hypotheticals, others will. Without Cousins, the Vikings were destined to implode. They wouldn’t have won enough games to make it to the playoffs.

Now? They’re in position to take the NFC North — and possibly to win a playoff game or two. If, as it appears, the trade rejuvenates the defense and elevates the offense, the Vikings will become one of the most balanced teams in the league.

Which will give them an opportunity to navigate what will be the meat grinder of the looming NFC playoff tree.