Kevin O’Connell enters this season with a real chance to change the conversation around him.
That wasn’t the case for much of last year. J.J.
McCarthy’s struggles dragged the quarterback picture into the spotlight, and O’Connell took his share of the heat, too. A year after winning the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award and helping Sam Darnold revive his career in Minnesota, the idea had taken hold that he could make almost any quarterback work.
Then came last season’s 9-8 finish, a year that started 4-8 and left plenty of people questioning how much credit O’Connell really deserved.
The skepticism has been loud enough that The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia argued Brian Flores may have been the bigger reason for Minnesota’s success. Kapadia wrote, “There's a chance that O’Connell has gotten too much credit, and Flores too little.
If we’re talking just offensive acumen, look at where the Vikings have ranked over the past four seasons.
O’Connell has coached a few mediocre offenses and one terrible offense.
Look at it this way: If your favorite offensive coach - Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Sean Payton, whoever - had the Vikings’ group of talent on offense, would they be able to produce a top 10-to-12 offense?”
Those questions have only grown sharper after watching McCarthy struggle in O’Connell’s offense last season, while Flores’ defense has carried the team since his arrival in 2023.
Still, this offseason has handed O’Connell a cleaner path forward than he had a year ago.
A lot of what went wrong last season was outside his control. He was trying to coach through poor draft classes under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and a roster filled with multiple former undrafted free agents. Even as the season unraveled, he had to keep players such as Justin Jefferson engaged, and he still got the Vikings to close with five straight wins.
That streak can be debated, since several of those opponents were already out of the playoff race, on the brink of elimination, or, in Green Bay’s case, resting key players for the postseason. But the steps that came after it matter more.
Adofo-Mensah’s firing in January started the reset. A few weeks later, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray to be their starting quarterback.
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski handled the draft, but O’Connell and Flores had major input on the class. Then the Wilf family had O’Connell sit in on interviews to replace Adofo-Mensah, leading to Nolan Teasley’s hiring.
Since then, O’Connell and Teasley have operated in step.
There’s also the possibility that McCarthy is traded in the coming weeks, which would further clear the picture around O’Connell.
And the roster around him looks more workable, too. Minnesota’s offensive line, which took a beating all season, is healthy again.
Better running-game production could finally give O’Connell the kind of explosive ground plays that have been missing during his first four years. Murray gives him a veteran quarterback, and O’Connell has already shown he can get the best out of established passers like Kirk Cousins and Darnold.
Even the idea that Minnesota might lean more on defense than offense doesn’t have to be a problem. Kapadia pointed that out as well, and the league has plenty of examples of offensive-minded coaches thriving with strong defenses behind them.
Andy Reid has Steve Spagnuolo in Kansas City. McVay has a Rams defense now backed by Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald.
Kyle Shanahan’s defenses have been consistently strong since 2017. Sean Payton had the NFL’s No. 3 defense in points allowed in each of the past two seasons and finished second in yards allowed last year.
So O’Connell isn’t walking into a vacuum. He has a healthier team, less baggage, a veteran quarterback, and a defense that should at least give Minnesota a nine-win floor.
If Murray plays well and the Vikings get to 10 wins and a playoff victory, O’Connell could be right back in the middle of the quarterback-whisperer conversation he earned a few years ago.
In Other News...
Vikings Already Reworking Their Roster As More Moves Loom
The Vikings trimmed down to their initial 53-man roster, then immediately started reshaping it by claiming two offensive linemen off waivers and clearing room with another round of cuts. Quarterback Max Brosmer and wide receiver Dillon Bell were both on the first version of the final roster, only to be waived shortly after as Minnesota continued to adjust the back end of the roster.
Brosmer and Bell could still circle back to the organization if they clear waivers and land on the practice squad, but for now their status reflects just how unsettled things remain in Minnesota. With the opener approaching, the Vikings still appear to have more sorting to do, and this latest shuffle suggests the roster picture may not settle for a while yet. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Practice Squad Is Taking Shape With One Decision Still Looming
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One decision still hangs over the group, though, and it could shape the final look of the squad. Minnesota waived quarterback Max Brosmer and wide receiver Dillon Bell to make room for new waiver claims, and both could still circle back as the Vikings sort through the last bit of roster business. For a team that likes continuity on the back end of the roster, the final choice will say plenty about which developmental pieces the Vikings want closest at hand. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Final Cuts Just Changed Everything For These Fringe Survivors
The Vikings first 53-man roster of the 2026 season brought some clarity, and it also gave a handful of fringe players a real foothold as the team moved through cut-down day. Among the names still standing are punter Brett Thorson, halfback Demond Claiborne, offensive lineman Caleb Tiernan and edge rusher Chaz Chambliss, each of whom did enough in the preseason to stay in the conversation as Minnesota sorted out the back end of the roster.
For players in that group, surviving the initial cuts is only part of the battle, because the roster remains fluid before the regular season begins. But the fact that Minnesota kept them around says plenty about how the staff viewed their camp work and how each might fit if the Vikings need depth, special teams help or a surprise contributor once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]