Nov 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell points to the crowd as he walks off the field against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings will wrap up head coach Kevin O’Connell for the long haul. The only question(s) is when — and how much.
Thanks to Pioneer Press‘ Charley Walters, more information is available about the specifics of the impending agreement. Long story short — O’Connell will be paid handsomely.
“It’s probably still too early to offer Vikings QB Sam Darnold a contract extension now. The same for coach Kevin O’Connell, although it seems certain he’ll eventually receive a deal that could nearly double his current salary, estimated at $5 million a year. O’Connell, 39, is signed through 2025,” Walters wrote last weekend.
O’Connell ranks third in NFL Coach of the Year odds through 13 weeks with a +400 moneyline, trailing Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions (+120) and Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers (+400).
The Vikings won’t let O’Connell coach on the final year of his deal — that’s next season — so onlookers should expect an extension sometime in the offseason, probably in January or February. What folks didn’t know was the price tag — O’Connell will apparently receive a sweet raise, which is deserved.
Since O’Connell and his boss, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, took over the organization in 2022, the Vikings rank sixth leaguewide in win percentage, tabulating a 30-16 (.652) record. Ironically, that’s the same win-loss mark as the San Francisco 49ers in the timeframe — the team that initially discovered Adofo-Mensah and molded him into an NFL executive.
On O’Connell, the team’s fan base has wondered when the organization will lock up O’Connell for the long haul. Per KSTP’s Darren Wolfson last month, the organization actively wants to extend O’Connell, though any in-season dealings would’ve occurred by now. It’s evidently a matter for the 2025 calendar.
Wolfson said in November on SKOR North airwaves, “If it was going to happen in-season, it would’ve happened bye week… after starting off 5-0.”
He also stated, “It’s going to happen. I can’t stress enough. This organization thinks the world of Kevin O’Connell.”
It’s also worth noting that Adofo-Mensah will likely be extended early in the 2025 offseason, especially if the club sprints to the postseason as the current trajectory suggests. While some Vikings enthusiasts loudly and incessantly complain about Adofo-Mensah’s 2022 draft class and damn near make it part of their personality, the young executive has done a commendable job on the whole.
The Vikings have a 99.8% probability of reaching the playoffs, according to ESPN FPI, marking two postseason trips for O’Connell’s Vikings in three years.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.