The Minnesota Vikings haven't always made life easy for head coach Kevin O'Connell. He arrived to a barren defensive roster, the division is arguably the toughest in all of football, and he's cycled through multiple quarterbacks. Still, O'Connell keeps finding ways to make the Vikings a playoff team.
Fresh off losing rookie J.J. McCarthy for the 2024 season and being forced to roll with Sam Darnold, the Vikings won 14 games and were only locked out of a home playoff game due to a 15-win Lions team. O'Connell's latest coaching job was so good that the Vikings have decided to reward him with a brand new deal.
Adam Schefter has reported that O'Connell was handed a multi-year contract extension from the Vikings. In a follow-up tweet, Schefter confirmed that Minnesota is also exploring a new deal for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after their surprising run to the postseason in 2024. Ownership is motivated to keep this brain trust together.
This move was as easy to make as possible. The Vikings hired O'Connell to bring his offensive knowledge and evolution of the Sean McVay scheme to Minnesota, and he has done a simply masterful job of that.
Vikings agree to multi-year extension with head coach Kevin O'Connell
O'Connell has gone 34-17 in three years with the Vikings. Though he has never won a playoff game, the fact he has been able to produce such exemplary results on a team that has faced major quarterback instability shows how effective of a planner and leader he is.
O'Connell has done an amazing job of hiring assistant coaches throughout his tenure. The additions of Wes Phillips as offensive coordinator, Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, and Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach have been so impressive that teams around the league have been trying to poach them for their new coaching staff.
The Vikings need someone with O'Connell's skills at the helm, even with McCarthy back. Both the Lions and Packers are in line for a strong 2025 campaign, and the Bears appear to be on the right track after hiring Ben Johnson to be their next head coach.
As McCarthy gets acclimated to the pros, Vikings fans can feel confident in their ability to compete for championships with such a bright young mind in control. Still just 39 years old, it seems as though the best is yet to come for O'Connell in his Minnesota tenure.