There’s Reportedly Some Tension Between Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings experienced another disappointing postseason trip. Actually, they have never experienced one that wasn’t disappointing. Sean McVay’s Rams handily beat Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings, dominating both sides of the ball. The players were outplayed, and the coaches were outcoached.
There’s Reportedly Some Tension Between Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings
At the end of the day, the loss is a second defeat on O’Connell’s playoff resume. His regular seasons have been outstanding, but the playoff success hasn’t been there.
Still, the culture he has built in the organization and the regular season results have been phenomenal. He has a record of 34-17, and that includes some shaky defenses, half a season of backup QB carousel in 2023, and an unexpected career revival of Sam Darnold this past year.
A contract extension should be a formality for both sides. However, Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk, reports tension between the two parties.
“The Week 18 Sunday Splash! report from Jay Glazer that multiple teams are interested in trading for O’Connell wasn’t idle talk. There’s tension in the relationship, stemming largely from the fact that he didn’t get an extension after his second season. Now that he’s one year away from free agency, he could be willing to let it ride, if necessary, and hit the market.”
Jay Glazer had reported about some trade interest from teams without a head coach.
“Yes, it rarely happens. Sure, there’s much more than a whiff of collusion when it comes to the NFL and coaches,” Florio continued. “There’s no salary cap, but there’s also no salary floor. And there’s no union. The 32 teams can engage in subtle, or otherwise, efforts to keep the market down, with the only downside being the wafer-thin chance that a coach will risk his career by suing the league and its teams for antitrust violations.”
That, indeed, is uncommon. Besides Jon Gruden two decades ago and the retired Sean Payton, coaches don’t get traded very often.
Tension, because he didn’t receive an extension last offseason, is also strange because he still has another year under contract, and extending a deal two years in advance is also uncommon. The word has always been that those talks will be held between the 2024 and the 2025 seasons.
That would be right now, but the season concluded a few days ago, and O’Connell’s fourth campaign is still eight months away.
Florio’s explanation for the alleged conflict: “Beyond money, O’Connell could be looking for more say in roster construction. For better alignment with the General Manager. For a situation where he’ll have more of what he needs to put together a team that can both get to the playoffs and win when the postseason arrives. If there’s an impasse, the Vikings will have to choose between one more year and no compensation on the back end and listening to the teams that might be calling about O’Connell.”
Sure, O’Connell should have power within the organization. One could argue he is the most important person in the building outside of those who pay the checks. However, both O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have always emphasized the collaboration aspect of their relationship, and it would be quite bizarre to find out that they, in fact, are not collaborating.
About the trade rumors, O’Connell said:
“I’m not really interested in kind of, I guess I should say, addressing the rumors or speculation,” O’Connell stated ahead of the playoff game. “What I can tell you is I love this team. I love everything about this organization. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to keep coaching and leading.”
Players love to play for O’Connell, and O’Connell continues proclaiming his love for the organization. Both sides know that he is potentially building something special, and a contract extension should be considered a matter of time.
Anything other than that extension would be a shocking development.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt