The Minnesota Vikings were one win away from reaching the Super Bowl last season. And after winning the highly publicized Kirk Cousins sweepstakes this offseason, the expectations for them to make it to the big game with their new star quarterback will be sky high.

However, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has tried to temper those expectations by saying that he doesn’t view his team’s current situation with Cousins as “Super Bowl or bust.”

While Zimmer is trying his best to relieve some of the pressure off of his team, not to mention his new quarterback, it will still be tough to completely shake those expectations next season.

For one, the hype surrounding Cousins and the subsequent chase for his signature in free agency has arguably been the biggest story of the entire offseason. Even though he’s not viewed as a consensus top quarterback in the league, he still managed to drive so much attention for his services and also landed a historic fully-guaranteed deal.

That contract will most likely put Cousins under intense scrutiny from the moment he arrives in Minnesota, which is what he signed up for. Whether he likes it or not, the expectation will be for him to help the Vikings get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.

The NFC will obviously be tougher next year with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams looming as top contenders. If Cousins can at least get the Vikings back in contention for the NFC title game in the coming years, he likely won’t be viewed as that big of a bust. But anything less will likely be considered a significant disappointment.