The Top 3 Vikings Developments from Offseason Week No. 2
The Minnesota Vikings’ will play their next regular season game in 7.5 months, so the club has ample time to prepare for head coach Kevin O’Connell’s fourth act.
Minnesota finished 2024 with a 14-3 record, featuring a disappointing Round 1 playoff flop.
Vikings Offseason: The Top 3 Vikings Developments from 2nd Week
Free agency is about six weeks away, the draft is 13 weeks around the bend, and the club’s schedule will be released in May.
And to keep track, these were the top three developments of offseason week No. 2 ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important).
3. 3 Vikings Nominated for Awards
The NFL nominated these players for year-end awards this week:
- Kevin O’Connell (Coach of the Year)
- Sam Darnold (Comeback Player of the Year)
- Brian Flores (Assistant Coach of the Year)
Then, O’Connell won a separate award from Pro Football Writers of America — Coach of the Year. Darnold also won Comeback Player of the Year from the same group.
The full NFL award slate will be announced in two weeks.
2. Brian Flores Likely to Return for Year No. 3
Flores interviewed for head coaching gigs with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets this offseason. All three teams hired someone else.
The New Orleans Saints are also looking for a new skipper, although Flores has not interviewed for that position. Flores turned the Vikings’ defense around rather quickly, and in fact, his group ranked second in the NFL this season per EPA/Play. He’s earned HC attention accordingly. Fans will be excited to have him back if he strikes out this cycle.
And all signs point to Flores waiting another year before landing a head coaching job.
1. Kevin O’Connell Locked Down via Extension
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday, “More years in Minnesota: Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract extension, per sources. He was scheduled to be entering the last year of his contract, but no longer. Now that their head coach extension is done, the Vikings also working an extension for their GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.”
O’Connell is now attached to the Vikings for multiple years — probably through the end of 2028 or 2029.
Between O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah, the pair has produced the NFL’s sixth-best win percentage since accepting the top jobs in 2022. The tandem took over for general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer after the 2021 season.
It’s a done deal; O’Connell isn’t going anywhere.
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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