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The the first line of off-season business for the Vikings and coach Kevin O’Connell is, or at least should be, inking a long-term deal. It’s been a week of the Minnesota offseason there is no concrete news regarding a possible new deal.
Time is of the essence, especially if O’Connell is content to finish his four-year contract and become a free agent after the 2025 season.
If O’Connell turns down everything he’s been offered and accepts lame duck status, the Vikings face the prospect of seeing him leave after next season without compensation. If there is a stalemate sooner rather than later, the Vikings can explore the possibility of trading O’Connell.
Week 18 Sunday Splash! report from Fox, Jay Glazer was not a swing and a miss. As of January 5th, multiple teams were genuinely interested in trading for O’Connell. However, as they get hired, potential destinations for O’Connell will disappear.
Although bear trading would be unlikely, other places are still open. One could be filled as early as today if the Jets hire Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
That would leave the Saints, Jaguars, Raiders and Cowboys.
From O’Connell’s perspective, there’s no urgency—if he’s really willing to let it go.
If there was tension in the relationship before the 18th week (and there was), the question is whether and to what extent Glazer’s report complicates the situation. The Vikings, who went from 14-2 to 0-2 in the eight days after the report came out, may not be happy the report came out. O’Connell, forced to sit out his third year (and become the first coach in team history to win 13 games in multiple seasons), will want even more than he should/wanted a year ago, especially if the Bears they really pay Ben Johnson $13 million a year.
The challenge for O’Connell will be to project the jobs that could be open in 2025. Possibilities include (and we’re looking at the situation very broadly for these purposes), Dolphins, Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Colts, Titans, Giants, Buccaneers, Panthers, The Cardinals and (if 2025 goes as bad as 2025) the 49ers.
For now, the question remains whether he and the Vikings will strike a long-term deal. If not, the sooner the Vikings find out, the sooner they can trade another season with O’Connell for whatever one of the teams currently searching for a coach could offer.
