The Minnesota Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell agreed to an extension that will keep him with the team for the foreseeable future.
The two sides got the deal done on Tuesday. The details of the contract are not yet known. It’s reportedly a multi-year deal for O’Connell who was set to enter the last year of his deal this upcoming season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report on the extension.
O’Connell found immediate success when he joined the team in 2022. In his first season as a head coach, O’Connell led the Vikings to a 13-4 record and secured the team’s first NFC North title since 2017. The 2023 campaign was a bit of a disappointment, but the Vikings still managed 7 wins despite starting QB Kirk Cousins suffering a season-ending injury midway through the year.
Not much was expected out of the Vikings entering ’24. Many had them projected to finish last in a stacked division. Rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy was drafted to take over under center but was ruled out for the year after suffering an ACL tear in preseason. With the oft-maligned Sam Darnold at QB, O’Connell’s Vikings won 14 games during the regular season — tied for third-most in the NFL.
However, O’Connell is now 0-2 in the postseason following the Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They were upset by Daniel Jones and the New York Giants at home two years ago. Minnesota’s offense completely stalled out in its last two games this season with back-to-back nine-point efforts in pivotal matchups. It’s unclear if he will move forward with Darnold as the starter next season, or give the first-round pick McCarthy a chance to lead the squad coming off a serious injury.
The NFC North harbors some of the brightest coaching minds in the league. O’Connell has the 15th-best regular-season winning percentage (.667) among coaches in NFL history. Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur ranks 13th all-time (.670).
Detroit’s record has improved each year under Dan Campell (though, it will be hard to improve on its 15-win mark from this season). The Chicago Bears also recently hired the most sought-after head coaching candidate in years in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.