The Minnesota Vikings are gearing up for their week three matchup, on Sunday, vs the Houston Texans. If the Vikings are going to win, they’ll need another impressive performance out of QB, Sam Darnold.
Chances are, the USC reclamation project will give the Vikings exactly what they need, too. Why? Because Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings offensive coaching staff has already proven (in just two years) that’s what they do.
The whole world knows, at this point. KOC is the QB whisperer. Whatever level of quarterback you employ, Minnesota’s 3rd-year head coach will squeeze every ounce of talent from his arm. That’s why we are lucky and hopeful that he is here, doing that with Vikings quarterbacks.
Kevin O’Connell catching the NFL’s attention
We’ve seen it this season, with Sam Darnold, and we saw it with Kirk Cousins, before him. In between, we watched Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall all perform in purple, better than any other stop of their NFL careers. And according to Dianna Russini (The Athletic), others around the NFL are starting to take notice of Kevin O’Connell, as well.
A program encompasses everything: Environment, support staff, planning, teaching philosophy, and the list goes on. Speak to folks around the league about QB development, and they’ll often mention all of these layers as being essential. Carolina is one side of the coin — Minnesota is the other.
Around the NFL, countless coaches and execs have paid attention to what Kevin O’Connell has accomplished. One opposing defensive coach said, “I’d trust KOC more than anyone in our league to get the most out of his quarterback.”
Dianna Russini – The Athletic
Shocker. Those around the league, and the game of football, are seeing the same thing we are, when they turn on Minnesota Vikings games. Other coaches and players are noticing how good of a coach KOC is, when playing against the Vikings, too.
It wasn’t just Brock Purdy who was impressed by a Minnesota scheme, last weekend. While he was caught on hot microphones telling defensive coordinator Brian Flores that his “scheme is crazy”, superstar EDGE rusher Joey Bosa was saying the same things about Kevin O’Connell’s.
“That’s an excellent coach … he’s just really good with the scheme. He knows how to scheme up the big-time players [against] the defense, and he’s got a lot of outstanding players and a good offensive line. You could feel it when you’re playing a good coach who knows what they’re doing.”
Joey Bosa – 49ers OLB (via The Athletic)
We’ve had some good coaches come through Minnesota, and plenty of not-so-good coaches, too. But it does appear we have one of the better coaching tandems in the NFL, right now, with Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
Way too early contract extension guilt trip
But wait… because worshipping KOC as one of the best young coaches in football wasn’t the entire point of Russini’s article. It appears Kevin O’Connell may want an early contract extension, just like his friend Mike McDaniel got in Miami.
Related: Minnesota Vikings Linebacker is a Surprise Scratch vs Texans
Where did I get that from? Well, instead of wrapping up the O’Connell + Minnesota Vikings portion of her column, with a happy feel-good bow, she took a quick right turn down contract extension road. She even mentioned… head coach free agency… even though he won’t be a free agent until next offseason (2026).
This is their third season, and during training camp, Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf said extension talks would not be happening this season. Meanwhile, Mike McDaniel, who was hired at the same time as O’Connell, was extended by Dolphins owner Steve Ross.
It should be noted that extensions rarely happen after two seasons, but if optimal development programs are as hard to find as they seem to be, why not invest now? In the eyes of many around the league, O’Connell deserves a new contract. If one does not come, free agency is always an alternative.
Dianna Russini – The Athletic
Dianna isn’t the first reporter around to start talking about a Kevin O’Connell contract extension. Darren “Doogie” Wolfson has brought it up a couple of times in recent scoop sessions (SKOR North) too.
Let’s look at reality, “others around the league” aren’t angrily picking up their phones and calling Dianna to complain that another head coach on a different team doesn’t have a contract extension.
KOC was hired the same offseason that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was. Both have the same number of years (two) remaining on their original deals. In all likelihood, KOC’s “people” are starting to whisper behind the scenes about a possible extension, which prompts reporters to do the same, both publicly and in behind-the-scenes interviews. And that’s how we end up with amazing articles like this.
Minnesota Vikings should just get the deal done now
Now, the snowball effect will play out in real time. Minnesota Sports Fan, along with other Vikings websites, will write about it, KFAN will be debating it, etc etc. Especially if Minnesota plays well again on Sunday, and Darnold is dropping dimes.
At that point, everyone — even national shows like Get Up, Good Morning Football and PTI — will be discussing whether or not the Vikings should lock up KOC early, even though he still has nearly two full seasons remaining on his original deal.
Related: Minnesota Vikings Keys to Victory vs Houston Texans
That’s why, if the Wilf family actually believes in Kevin O’Connell like we think they do, they should just sign him to a contract extension now. Don’t wait for this to gain steam, it will only give him more leverage. Do it before kick-off Sunday, for goodness sake.
Sure, you can wait to see how things go against the Houston Texans… but why? One game should not dictate whether or not an up-and-coming coach like KOC should get an extension. If that’s the case, then don’t extend him at all.
But more than likely, the Minnesota Vikings know how great O’Connell is, and they want him to be around long term. As long as that is true, just get the deal done now. Skip the drama, save that for the football field.