Vikings Clean Up at NFL Awards Ceremony
The NFL conducted its annual award ceremony on Thursday night, three days before Super Bowl LIX.
Vikings Clean Up at NFL Awards Ceremony
The Minnesota Vikings were handsomely represented, taking home a few honors and making a memorable night along the way.
Here’s how it went down.
Kevin O’Connell Wins Coach of the Year
After frontrunner status to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year award for two months, Kevin O’Connell brought it home.
He staved off Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell by six first-place votes, and for the first time since 1969, the Vikings have a Coach of the Year. Bud Grant was the last guy — pretty sweet company.
Here’s the moment:
Jared Allen Is in the Hall of Fame — Finally
On his fifth try — it took too damn long — Jared Allen is a Hall of Famer.
Allen had been snubbed in his previous four attempts, an odd circumstance because Allen’s resume for the Hall of Fame wasn’t controversial. He had the numbers and accolades to back it up.
“It’s a nod to doing it the right way. It’s a reassurance you played it right, so I can look back and say, ‘I played this game my way.’ I tried to honor those before [me], and I did it the right way, and this is the pay off,” Allen told Vikings.com.
“From a legacy standpoint, it’s great. You’re cemented in football immortality, which is great. Once I get to Canton, it will probably sink in.”
Allen owns the gold jacket forever.
The 4 Runner-Ups
Sam Darnold received three late-ballot MVP votes, believe it or not. Josh Allen took home the grand prize.
Justin Jefferson fetched 27 late-ballot Offensive Player of the Year votes, an award he won two years ago.
Darnold also checked in second for Comeback Player of the Year behind Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
And Brian Flores placed second behind Ben Johnson as Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Moments
Justin Jefferson presented the Comeback Player of the Year award, but his teleprompter went out along the way. The Vikings’ best player recovered nicely, however.
Vikings safeties Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus also broke out into a dance-off, continuing their in-season tradition for turnovers and touchdowns.
No Snubs
One of the finest takeaways? Everything about the evening from a Vikings perspective was just.
Darnold didn’t deserve MVP or Comeback Player of the Year, but he was considered. Saquon Barkley earned OPOY over Justin Jefferson — quite fair.
Ben Johnson probably did more for the Lions’ offense en route to a Divisional Round playoff loss than Flores’ Wildcard exit.
And Jared Allen finally grabbed HOF kudos.
Purple justice reigned.
The “Controversy”
Speaking after the ceremony, Kevin O’Connell told reporters about Sam Darnold, “Our goal is to win a championship, and he’s going to be a huge part of it when we do it.”
The quote felt like a DJ record scratch, as most Vikings fans are ready to start the J.J. McCarthy era.
The problem? The reporter who posted the quote to X, formerly known as Twitter, got it wrong. O’Connell was talking about Justin Jefferson — not Sam Darnold.
O’Connell later clarified the statement, although he shouldn’t have had to: “I don’t necessarily think that was 100 percent accurate. It was in the spirit of answering a question about Sam’s season and what he was able to do this year. And then the follow up in regards to what it’s going to take to win a championship. Look, you guys know how I feel about Sam. He is a guy who we identified last year as someone who could come in and be successful, and really no matter where he was before he arrived, it was about maximizing our time together. And I think we did that.”
He added, “I think it was a very special year for Sam, and what that earned him is that everybody in our league thinks he’s a bonafide, legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games. He won 14 of them. So, he’s earned the right to be a free agent. But we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation as well as being really excited about J.J. McCarthy, and where he’s at in his rehab.”
O’Connell always goes to bat for his quarterback(s). That won’t change.
The next stop in the offseason? Free agency in 4.5 weeks.
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.
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