The Minnesota Vikings and coach Kevin O'Connell agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension on Tuesday, following a 14-3 regular season that defied external widespread preseason projections of at least a losing record if not a last-place finish in the NFC North.
The Minnesota Vikings got ahead of an offseason full of rumors and speculation about head coach Kevin O'Connell with a major announcement.
Kevin O'Connell will not coach 2025 on a lame duck contract. The potential 2024 Coach of the Year has struck it rich with a long-term contract extension to keep him leading the Minnesota Vikings for years to come. Terms of the deal haven't been revealed just yet, but the Vikings have confirmed the agreement.
O'Connell, who recently agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the Vikings, is the first head coach in Vikings history to have multiple 13-win seasons.
The Vikings were never going to trade O'Connell, who led the team to a 14-3 record and within one win of the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The NFL and Associated Press unveiled the finalists for year-end awards on Thursday, and among them are Kevin O'Connell for Coach of the Year, Brian Flores for Assistant Coach of the Year and Sam Darnold for Comeback Player of the Year.
O'Connell has been with the organization since 2022. Despite making two playoff appearances, the team has yet to advance past the wild-card round during his tenure. Still, he proved in 2024 that he's the right man for the job, and has now been rewarded as such.
The Vikings’ next big decision will come at the quarterback position this offseason when the team chooses between potentially re-signing Sam Darnold or giving the job to J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire season due to a knee injury after the team took him with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings had a highly successful season under the leadership of head coach Kevin O'Connell, despite an unfortunate loss in the NFL playoffs.
As expected, Kevin O’Connell is among five finalists for the 2024 AP Coach Of the Year award. The third-year head coach helped Sam Darnold revitalize his career and had the Vikings one win away from winning the NFC North and hold the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers' Association on Thursday. O'Connell was also named as a finalist for the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award on Thursday.