Kevin O’Connell Addresses Dumb Rumors
The Minnesota Vikings conducted their last head coaching search in the 2022 offseason after moving on from Mike Zimmer following his eighth season with the club. Kevin O’Connell was hired and has captained the ship ever since. In his three regular seasons, he has recorded 34 wins and only 17 losses.
Kevin O’Connell Addresses Dumb Rumors
His record, combined with the great culture he has been building in the Twin Cities and the rise of quarterback Sam Darnold (at least before his stinker on Sunday), makes him one of the top head coaches in the NFL.
Of course, that can lead to rumors, especially because he has not gotten a contract extension. Jay Glazer made an appearance on FOX Sports’ pregame show ahead of Sunday’s slate, and he reported:
“There are multiple teams that actually are considering trying to trade for Kevin O’Connell, and the reason why, next year is the last year of his deal, had no contract talks at all. Look, if you’re a team out there, why not take a shot? Maybe the Vikings don’t let it happen, but Kevin O’Connell has the card to say, ‘Hey, listen, I’m not going to re-sign there. You might as well get something for me.’ There are multiple teams that have him on their board.”
Trading coaches is highly unusual. It happened in 2002 when the Raiders shipped Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay in exchange for two first-rounders and two second-rounders, in addition to $8 million.
Sean Payton was traded from the Saints to Denver, but he had retired a year before.
Back to 2025. O’Connell would be a logical choice for other teams because he is a fantastic head coach. The favorite to land Coach of the Year was asked about the speculations, and he just shut it down.
“I’m not really interested in kind of, I guess I should say, addressing the rumors or speculation,” O’Connell stated at his Monday press conference. “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.”
Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) reached out to an anonymous source from the Vikings and the response couldn’t have been any more straightforward: “We love Kevin and there will be no trade.”
It has been the expectation since last summer that O’Connell’s deal will be extended following the 2024 season, and the fact that the two parties don’t want to talk business during the four months of football season is understandable.
There’s no reason for the organization to even consider a trade. O’Connell has started to build something special with the Vikings, and tearing that apart doesn’t make any sense for either side.
In October, Alec Lewis from The Athletic wrote in one of his articles:
“You know the NFLPA report card?” right tackle Brian O’Neill said in August, referring to the player survey that identified the Vikings as one of the most highly regarded teams in the league in terms of working conditions and environment. “(O’Connell) is the report card. He sets the tone for the entire building.”
The most likely outcome is a contract extension shortly after the season with a significant raise.
O’Connell, 39, will meet his former teacher, Sean McVay, in his second playoff game on Monday.
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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