Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings are 14-2 this season and a combined 34-16 with him as head coach, but could this season actually be his last in the Twin Cities?
On “FOX NFL Sunday,” FOX Sports NFL Insider Jay Glazer reported that “multiple teams” are considering making Minnesota a trade offer for O’Connell, who’s entering the final season of his contract and hasn’t had negotiations with the franchise about an extension.
NFL Coaching Carousel: Kevin O’Connell draws trade interest
In O’Connell’s first season, Minnesota went 13-4 and won the NFC North, followed by a 7-10 season that saw starting quarterback Kirk Cousins suffer a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 8.
There have been eight head-coaching trades in NFL history, the last one being the New Orleans Saints trading Sean Payton and a third-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for a first- and second-rounder in 2023.
As for any theoretical O’Connell trade suitors, the Saints, New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots have head-coaching vacancies.
Prior to being hired as Minnesota’s head coach in 2022, the 39-year-old O’Connell, a former quarterback, was previously the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams (2020-21) and Washington (2019).
Minnesota has a road tilt against the Detroit Lions (14-2) on Sunday night. With a win, the Vikings would claim the NFC North division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. A loss would make the Vikings the No. 1 NFC wild-card seed.
O’Connell has resurrected the career of quarterback Sam Darnold, who entered Week 18 with 4,153 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 106.4 passer rating, while completing 68.1% of his passes. Darnold entered the 2024 season with just 63 career passing touchdowns and having surpassed 3,000 passing yards just once (2019).
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