Adam Schefter Weighs in What a Kevin O’Connell Extension Might Cost the Vikings
What are the Minnesota Vikings going to do about the Kevin O’Connell contract/trade rumors that continue to circulate around the local and national sports media landscape? The longer they wait, the louder the chatter will get.
Adam Schefter expects a Kevin O’Connell contract extension soon
Well, NFL insider Adam Schefter (ESPN) weighed in on the discussion Friday. He does not see a world where the Vikings trade KOC. Instead, he believes a deal will get done between the two sides sooner, rather than later.
What makes him so sure? Schefter points to NFL history for his logic… “teams that have coaches that they’ve identified as their future, they don’t typically let [those] guys go into the final year of their deal”. Thus, the 35 year veteran NFL scoop artist expects an extension to be reached “in the coming days [or] weeks”.
"I don't see Kevin O'Connell getting traded and I think the Vikings are gonna hold onto him… I would imagine that they will figure out an extension”.
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) January 17, 2025
–@AdamSchefter on #Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell
pic.twitter.com/tXTLH8tfEz
“I don’t see him getting traded. I think that the Wilf family’s gonna wanna hold on to him. He’s gonna be entering the last year of his deal. I think teams that have coaches who they’ve identified as their future don’t typically let [those] guys go into the last year of their deal. And so I would imagine, at some point in the coming days, weeks, whatever it may be, that the Wilf family and Kevin O’Connell sit down and figure out an extension.”
Adam Schefter – Pat McAfee Show (ESPN) | H/T: @TPPSkol
Per Schefter, the cost to extend O’Connell won’t be the highest paid head coach in the NFL, by any means, but it will be a nice raise to what KOC was getting on his rookie coaching deal. He “guesses”, Kevin O’Connell is making around $7-$8 million per year, if he remembers correctly.
How much is a KOC extension expected to cost the Minnesota Vikings?
To set the scale, Schefter notes that the top NFL coaches make $17-$20 million per season. Pat McAfee and the boys immediately assume that means O’Connell will be demanding that much. The most trusted NFL insider in the game says, not so fast…
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The ESPN insider believes that, if the Vikings can get a deal done this offseason, it’ll cost them “in the low teens, maybe”. Schefter seems like he wants to set the floor at $10ish million, before stating that the Wilfs might think the “low teens” is crazy.
Schefter: “The top tier [coaches in the NFL], we’re talking about $17, $18, $19 million a year… $20 million a year.”
McAfee: “So he’s gonna get $17-$20 million per year?”
Schefter: “Listen, he’s gonna get as much as he can get. I don’t know, his first deal — if my memory serves me correct — he’s under $8 million. Like, I’m gonna guess he’s around $7 million. So the next deal, I think, would get him in the… I don’t know… the low teens maybe… like $10 m… like, the Wilfs might be watching this and be like ‘what, is he out of his mind’ but you know, Kevin O’Connell wants to play it out.”
Pat McAfee Show
Here’s the biggest problem for the Minnesota Vikings, when it comes to these contract negotiations. If they are not willing to give Kevin O’Connell what he is demanding, he can always ride out the final year of his deal, bet on himself, and then hit the open market at the end of 2026.
How much would Kevin O’Connell get if he hit the NFL coaching carousel in 2026?
And should the Minnesota Vikings get to training camp without Kevin O’Connell under a long-term contract, I am not sure why he would be interesting in negotiating during the season.
At that point, he may as well wait, so he can hit the open market and possibly see higher offers than what he can get in an extension with Minnesota. How much could he get on the open market? Schefty puts KOC’s open market value at $12-$14 million.
"I don't see Kevin O'Connell getting traded and I think the Vikings are gonna hold onto him… I would imagine that they will figure out an extension”.
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) January 17, 2025
–@AdamSchefter on #Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell
pic.twitter.com/tXTLH8tfEz
“If the the Wilfs don’t step up and give him what we all would agree, in an objective way, is a fair offer, then Kevin O’Connell could say, ‘I’m not going to sign that’ and then he goes into the last year of his contract and he’s a coaching free agent next year.
And if you’re a coaching free agent what would Kevin O’Connell get on the open market? If you’re asking me, I would say Kevin O’Connell would get — first of all, we have to see how next year goes — but if he had the kind of season next year, that he did this past year, my guess is Kevin O’connell’s in the 12 to $14 million per year range.”
Are Schefter’s contract projections for O’Connell too low?
After he hears Schefter’s projected price tag for O’Connell, he accuses his friend Adam Schefter of trying to hold down O’Connell’s value, to help out the Wilfs. He and his crew think KOC is worth just as much as any NFL head coach in the league.
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By what Adam taught us above, that would put O’Connell’s value at as high as $20 million per season. to that, Schefter stands his ground, and refuses to move KOC’s price tag any higher. Nonetheless, he ends the conversation, opting not to negotiate publicly against a coach he agrees is one of the best in the league.
McAfee: Sounds like you’re trying to help out the wolf family here publicly. I respect that, I appreciate what you’re doing here. This guy won 14 games this season when the quarterback invade $13 million he’s never had success. Before that he had the Passtronaut playing quarterback…”
Schefter: Listen, I’m a huge Kevin O’Connell guy. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the league. He’s one of the best installers of culture. But again, I don’t wanna… I’m not gonna make a debate. I’m just telling you that’s that’s my opinion, that’s all I’m gonna say.
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