Kevin O’Connell Set to Assume HC Job for Vikings
Dustin Baker
|
After an eight-year-long relationship with Mike Zimmer and a five-day-long intense flirtation with Jim Harbaugh, the Minnesota Vikings have reportedly settled on their man — Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell will assume the Vikings vacant head coaching position after the Super Bowl. He’s the current offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, who will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. The Rams are four-point favorites.
Zimmer preached eight years stuffed full of defense, while Harbaugh inspired hope of “guaranteed wins” based on his history with the San Francisco 49ers. But when it was all said and done, the Vikings and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swerved at the last minute, opting for the longstanding dream by fans of a young, offensive-minded head coach.
O’Connell is precisely that.
The new Vikings coach has spent time with the 49ers, Browns, Commanders, and Rams. With the Commanders, O’Connell coached current Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins for one season in 2017. It is unclear if his relationship with Cousins is friendly-friendly or just a standard player-coach version.
Indeed, Rams head coach Sean McVay is responsible for a lot of Los Angeles’ offense, but O’Connell is the offensive coordinator — and Los Angeles ranked eighth in the NFL for offensive efficiency in 2021.
O’Connell, 36, will become the franchise’s 10th coach in history — and also the youngest.
The other finalists — Patrick Graham (Giants) and Raheem Morris (Rams) — were notified they would not land the Vikings HC gig.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
Vikings Territory: Ex-Vikings QB Sharpens Longstanding Criticism of Kirk Cousins
You must be logged in to post a comment.