Kevin O'Connell Wants Vikings Contract Extension After Dismissing NFL Trade Rumors

Kevin O'Connell once again asserted that he wants to remain with the Minnesota Vikings for the long term, telling reporters on Thursday that he's hoping to sign a contract extension with the team.

Earlier in January, he also asserted that he wanted to remain in Minnesota amidst rumors that several teams would consider trading for him.

"I love this team," he told reporters at the time. "I love everything about this organization. This is where I want to be."

O'Connell, 39, is among the favorites to win the NFL's Coach of the Year award after leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth while revitalizing the career of quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw for 4319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season after disappointing tenures with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers and a season serving as the backup for the San Francisco 49ers.

Darnold turned back into a pumpkin at the end of the season, struggling against both the Detroit Lions (18-of-41 for 166 yards and two sacks) in a loss that cost the Vikings the NFC North title and top overall seed in the NFC playoffs, and against the Los Angeles Rams (245 yards, one touchdown, one interception, nine sacks) in a loss that ended the team's season.

"Did not end the way any of us envisioned," O'Connell told reporters Thursday. "In fact the finality of it all is probably the thing that stings the most. ... Nobody expected it to be over when it was."

That didn't undercut the coaching job O'Connell did this season, however, after the team went just 7-10 last season. In his three seasons at the helm, he's led the Vikings to a pair of playoff berths, winning 13 or more games twice.

So while there are big decisions to make in Minnesota—namely whether the team will re-sign Darnold or hand the reins over to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who missed the past season with a torn meniscus—there's little doubt that the Vikings have the right man installed as head coach.