New Twist Added to Vikings Bombshell Report
Back in January, when the Minnesota Vikings competed for homefield advantage throughout the postseason but ultimately lost at Ford Field to the Detroit Lions, rumors emerged that NFL teams were calling the Vikings about a possible “coach trade.”
The Caleb Williams ordeal for the Vikings has a new twist, at least in the court of public opinion.
That’s right. Teams evidently wanted to acquire Kevin O’Connell’s services as the young head coach’s contract hadn’t been extended.
Minnesota later committed to O’Connell for the long haul, but a new working theory suggests that the Chicago Bears were the organization calling about O’Connell’s trade price.
Caleb Williams Wanted to Be Drafted by Vikings
Four months after the O’Connell trade rumors, ESPN uplifted tidbits from a new book that claimed Bears quarterback Caleb Williams didn’t want to be drafted by Chicago 14 months ago — he wanted the Vikings to call his name in April 2024.
Of course, Minnesota did not have the draft capital for Williams’ request, so the USC alumnus was “stuck” with the Bears. Chicago later picked Williams with the first overall pick, and the Vikings drafted Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Remember the Kevin O’Connell Trade Rumors?
Soon after the ESPN revelation came to light last week, some connected Williams’ wish to end up in Minnesota with O’Connell’s trade rumor mill.
That is — if a team genuinely called about O’Connell’s trade compensation price, it was probably Chicago because that franchise had recently fired head coach Matt Eberflus, and the Bears’ brass probably knew Williams’ ardor for O’Connell.
Chicago as a division foe of Minnesota assuredly complicated any would-be trade conversations, but with Williams’ fondness for O’Connell well-known, it would make sense for Chicago to call Minnesota, if only to make sure the young skipper wasn’t for sale.
Bears-Themed Sites Say Chicago Wanted to Trade for O’Connell
BearGogglesOn.com‘s Jordan Campbell advanced the theory last week. He wrote, “The Chicago Bears likely wanted to complete an NFC North coup. It had to be known by Ryan Poles’ front office that Williams thought highly of O’Connell. After all, the Bears’ quarterback did say this about the Vikings’ head coach during the season.”
“With that in mind, it seems obvious that the Bears were one of the teams that called the Vikings about O’Connell’s availability this offseason. They might have even preferred O’Connell to Johnson.”
Minnesota reached an agreement with O’Connell as its first business measure of the offseason, connecting the “quarterback whisperer” coach to the team through the end of the 2029 season.
Campbell added, “The Bears turned over every stone before they were allowed by the NFL to hire Johnson, and had O’Connell actually been available, a trade would have been a worthwhile route considering the quarterback success the Vikings’ head coach has had. However, Johnson is quite the consolation prize.”
More Williams Takes
WindyCityGridiron.com’s Sam Householder noted on the Williams bombshell: “Standing here in May of 2025 we can all hope it’s working out. Caleb rewrote the Bears’ rookie passing records and is now paired with a coach and staff truly built to make him play his best. Everyone but (apparently?) the decision-makers inside of Halas Hall could see that Matt Eberflus was a bad coach and the weak link in the process of drafting Caleb.”
“The whole article is worth a read because the book isn’t just about Williams, but about the quarterback position at multiple levels, looking at the recruiting of Arch Manning, LSU QB Colin Hurley’s injury recovery and talks with legends like John Elway, the Mannings and Warren Moon, among others.”
Bears fans have big plans for Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson, hoping Williams’ rookie struggles were a product of Eberflus’ poor coaching.
Householder added, “This is certainly going to generate a lot of talk and hype for the book, which is what publicists want for this type of project, but it’s going to drive book sales.”
Not for Sale
In the end, O’Connell was not for sale, and in fact, the January trade rumors never got off the ground. Some even suggested that somebody leaked them to sabotage the Vikings’ all-in chance at winning the NFC North and homefield advantage in the postseason.
Still, the Williams’ revelation from ESPN and the forthcoming book prove O’Connell is a sought-after commodity, and the “quarterback whisperer” reputation has never been more true.
O’Connell’s Vikings play Williams’ Bears in Week 1 of the 2025 season at Soldier Field — 16 weeks from the date of this article’s publication. Chicago is an early favorite to down Minnesota by a point or two.
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