Playoff Failures Aside, Vikings Extend O’Connell To Find Promised Land

The Vikings hired a gem when they brought Kevin O’Connell aboard in 2022, and they were smart enough to keep him in the fold after three notable seasons. There was no truth to reports that O’Connell could be on the trade block after the Vikings got hammered by the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card game and their brilliant 14-3 season came to an abrupt halt. Instead, the Vikings extended O’Connell for multiple seasons because they believe the future is bright.

O’Connell is a special coach in today’s NFL. He is a proven commodity when it comes to working with the most important position on the field. He understands nearly every nuance when it comes to working with quarterbacks and helping them get the most out of their ability. He got enough out of Kirk Cousins to turn him into one of the most beloved players in the locker room because of his accuracy and willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of the team.

Before O’Connell came aboard, Cousins was often belittled for his inability to play on Monday Night Football and because of his mediocre track record when it comes to competing against winning teams. Neither of these factors changes very much during Cousins’ last two seasons with the Vikings, but he became a beloved figure on his team and the quarterback became a much more confident player.

O’Connell became one of the leading coaches in the NFL in 2024 for his work with Sam Darnold. It was a dream season for Darnold until the final game of the regular season, but O’Connell helped him overcome six mediocre seasons. Darnold became one of the top five performers at the position.

Darnold completed 361 of 545 passes for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 102.5 passer rating. That figure was fourth in the league among primary NFL starters.

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Darnold was hired to be a placeholder for the Vikings because they viewed rookie J.J. McCarthy as the team’s eventual starter. Those plans were scuttled after the first preseason game because McCarthy tore his meniscus and missed the rest of the season.

O’Connell was in Darnold’s ear all summer, and he was brilliant at the start of the season when the Vikings got off to a 5-0 start despite one of the most difficult starting schedules in the league. Darnold may or may not be the team’s starting quarterback in 2025 because McCarthy should be ready to go. There is little doubt that O’Connell’s presence will help McCarthy acclimate himself to the QB1 position if the Vikings go in that direction.

More than his work with quarterbacks, O’Connell has delivered a locker room that is filled with confidence and joy. The opposite was the same at the time that Mike Zimmer was fired after the 2021 season.

The Vikings had a brutal defense at that point and that did not change until the 2023 season. O’Connell worked hand in hand with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in the hiring of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, a move that turned the Vikings into a formidable team last season.

The Vikings have plenty of work to do in the offseason. The offensive line needs more strength at the two guard positions and possibly at center where Garrett Bradbury is too inconsistent. They also need more depth at tackle because Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are not supermen. They are both great at their jobs, but injuries happen and the Vikings suffered after Darrisaw went down with a knee injury at midseason.

O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah must partner together during free agency and the draft to find their interior linemen and their depth. The duo has had an excellent working relationship and they have every chance to be successful in this area.

O’Connell has work to do to rise even further as a coach. His team made the playoffs as the NFC North division winner in 2022 and again this season. They were drummed out of the playoffs by the New York Giants and Rams. The Vikings did not play their best football in either game, and that’s not acceptable.

The head coach must find a way to stir his team to play their best football when everything is on the line. That’s what O’Connell has to work on the Vikings are going to become more than a team that impresses during the regular season. It may involve showing less joy after regular-season victories and demanding a better overall performance.

This has to be the next step for both the team and the coach to overcome the heartbreak the Vikings have felt in every season of its existence.