Vikings Kevin O'Connell dominates SN's Coach of Year voting
At the start of the 2025 NFL offseason, there was talk among league circles that Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was a possible trade candidate. KFAN radio host and Vikings radio play-by-play voice Paul Allen didn’t like how it all went down, and at seems as if the Wilf family never truly entertained it.
The Minnesota Vikings have decided on head coach Kevin O'Connell staying with the team, as he has agreed to a multi-year extension.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings and coach Kevin O’Connell agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension on Tuesday, following a 14-3 regular season that defied external widespread preseason projections of at least a losing record if not a last-place finish in the NFC North.
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings and head coach Kevin O'Connell have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension. The team announced the extension Tuesday afternoon, with owner and president Mark Wilf calling O'Connell an "innovative play caller, an excellent communicator, and strong leader."
The Vikings were never going to trade O'Connell, who led the team to a 14-3 record and within one win of the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Despite a disappointing playoff exit, the Minnesota Vikings still enjoyed plenty of success during the 2024 season. And head coach Kevin O'Connell
Kevin O'Connell will not coach 2025 on a lame duck contract. The potential 2024 Coach of the Year has struck it rich with a long-term contract extension to keep him leading the Minnesota Vikings for years to come. Terms of the deal haven't been revealed just yet, but the Vikings have confirmed the agreement.
The Vikings’ next big decision will come at the quarterback position this offseason when the team chooses between potentially re-signing Sam Darnold or giving the job to J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire season due to a knee injury after the team took him with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
O’Connell was named Sporting News Coach of the Year on Thursday after leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record, the second-best mark in franchise history. O’Connell received 14 votes, dominating the field over Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions and Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs (3 votes each).
The Minnesota Vikings had a highly successful season under the leadership of head coach Kevin O'Connell, despite an unfortunate loss in the NFL playoffs.
As expected, Kevin O’Connell is among five finalists for the 2024 AP Coach Of the Year award. The third-year head coach helped Sam Darnold revitalize his career and had the Vikings one win away from winning the NFC North and hold the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.