Will the Vikings Regret Hiring Kevin O’Connell over Jim Harbaugh?
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings met with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. It looked like he would be named the tenth head coach in the team’s history.
Well, that shockingly did not happen. Harbaugh wanted the job and even came into the interview thinking he had it, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. They then decided to go with Kevin O’Connell as their guy. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilfs must have had concerns over how things ended with Harbaugh while he was with the San Francisco 49ers. Despite having a record of 44-19-1 and a Super Bowl appearance, he was dismissed due to issues with owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke. Current general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in San Francisco during Harbaugh’s last two years there, so he likely did not have any concerns, if at all. Minority team owner Jim Stapelton did. Maybe that was enough to convince the Wilfs to move onto O’Connell. Maybe money played a role too. Maybe Harbaugh also wanted control over the roster.
The question is, will the Vikings regret passing him over for O’Connell. They very well could. Harbaugh, despite concerns he may have to surround him, is a very good coach. The way he turned the 49ers around was remarkable. Maybe O’Connell will be a great hire and be around for many years to come. He is only 36 years old. Harbaugh likely would have been a better short-term answer, but given he is 58 years old, he may not have stayed around for too long. Yes, Pete Carroll is 70 years old, and Bill Belichick is 69, but not many head coaches stay around for too long. Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy could have coached for another ten years but did not.
The Vikings could be headed for a rebuild and move on from Kirk Cousins. Would Harbaugh have been ok with that? It would have been hard to imagine him being so. Given he may not have stayed for too long, he would have very well expected and wanted to start winning immediately. O’Connell is 22 years younger, so he may not mind a rebuild at all. In fact, he could welcome the challenge and see if he can develop his own quarterback too. However, he spent one season in Washington with Cousins as his quarterbacks coach.
One thing is for sure. Harbaugh being the Vikings coach definitely would have been a very good story and would have energized the fanbase. Many fans were very excited about the possibility of him being the team’s head coach. Khaki pants would have also been more popular in Minnesota. His sideline antics would have quite the story, too, as always — both in a good way and bad way.
Maybe O’Connell will not work out as a head coach. If he does, though, this will undoubtedly be a great decision. Having a head coach for more than ten years is not common in this league. Former Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin will be in his 16th season as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach next season, which is even rarer. Having stability in this league is always important, especially with the head coach.
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It is understandable why many fans did not like the team’s decision to pass on Harbaugh. The man is a proven winner, but again maybe O’Connell will just be the right man for this job. Outside of Bud Grant, only Dennis Green coached this team for more than nine seasons. Zimmer made it eight years. Maybe just maybe, O’Connell could be their Tomlin (yes, he could have been the man here for all those years).
Time will tell. This team, though, needs a rebuild (they are not Super Bowl contenders next year, and while Cousins is very good, he has maybe three good years left. His salary is not helping either), and while Harbaugh would have been an exciting hire, how long would he have been willing to deal with that? Maybe within three years or even two years, he would have made this team a Super Bowl contender. He quickly turned the 49ers around and could have done the same with the Vikings. We will never know. O’Connell would likely be more ok with a rebuild than Harbaugh would have.
It will be very interesting to see how this new regime does in Minnesota.
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