Kevin O'Connell, Vikings Agree to Multiyear Contract Extension amid Trade Rumors

Despite a disappointing playoff exit, the Minnesota Vikings still enjoyed plenty of success during the 2024 season.

And head coach Kevin O'Connell was rewarded for it.

Minnesota announced Tuesday it agreed to a multi-year contract extension with O'Connell. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the coach was scheduled to enter the final year of his deal in 2025 prior to this development.

This also clears up his immediate future after there was some discussion about him potentially being traded.

For his part, O'Connell released a statement calling it "an absolute honor to continue leading the Minnesota Vikings."

That the two sides came to terms on a deal follows a report from Schefter when he appeared on Friday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show and said he didn't believe the coach would be traded.

"I don't see him getting traded," Schefter said. "I think that the Wilf family is going to want to hold onto him. He's going to be entering the last year of his deal. I think team's that have coaches who they have identified as their future don't typically let guys go into the last year of their deal so I would imagine in 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."

Schefter highlighted the culture O'Connell helped build in Minnesota, which Vikings president Mark Wilf also mentioned in the team's announcement regarding the new deal.

"Kevin is exactly who we believed him to be when we named him as our head coach—an innovative play caller, an excellent communicator and a strong leader who motivates and connects with his players," Wilf said. "He has helped establish a culture that positions us for sustained success, and he will continue to set the standard we need as we pursue a championship for Vikings fans."

The 2024 campaign was O'Connell's third as the head coach of the Vikings after he was previously the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington. The 2021 Rams won the Super Bowl when he was the O.C., which surely caught the eye of Minnesota.

He is 34-17 in three years with the Vikings and just turned in his best season with a 14-3 record.

Yet the ending was disappointing, as Minnesota lost its Week 18 showdown against the Detroit Lions to determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC and then lost to the Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round the following week.

While it overshadowed some of the developments during the regular season, O'Connell's ability to get the most out of Sam Darnold stood out. The quarterback was 21-35 as a starter with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers before joining the NFC North team but thrived while going 14-3 with the Vikings.

He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions even though he was largely only starting because rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury.

It was a testament to O'Connell's ability to coach quarterbacks and offense as a whole, and now he will have the opportunity to continue doing so for multiple years in Minnesota.