Kevin O’Connell enters 2026 with a résumé that still looks strong on paper, but the mood around him has shifted. A year ago, the Minnesota Vikings coach was coming off NFL Coach of the Year honors and was widely viewed as the steady hand tasked with developing J.J.
McCarthy. Now, even after a 9-8 finish, plenty of fans are treating this season like a prove-it year.
That feeling showed up in a recent fan survey from The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. On a 1-to-5 scale of confidence in O’Connell as a head coach, 33.6 percent of respondents gave him a 5. That’s still the top mark, and 80 percent of the 3,103 responses landed at a 4 or 5, but the drop from last year was impossible to miss.
“Last year, more than 77 percent of survey takers gave him a 5. That figure dropped in 2026 to around 33 percent. Most Vikings fans are still confident… but fans want to see more adaptability.
...This viewpoint will become more widespread if 2026 comes and goes without postseason success, which speaks to the aforementioned prove-it nature of this season.”
The bigger picture still argues in O’Connell’s favor. He has gone 43-25 over four seasons and delivered an NFC North title in his first year in 2022. The culture he’s built has mattered to the Wilf family, too, especially after the Vikings clawed back from a 4-8 start to finish above .500.
But the concerns aren’t hard to find. Last season, O’Connell drew criticism for sticking too rigidly with his offense while working with an inexperienced quarterback and an offensive line that was missing Christian Darrisaw. His preference to throw in short-yardage situations also left the offense feeling boxed in at times, even with some of the worst quarterback play in the league.
There’s also the McCarthy piece. O’Connell arrived with a reputation for turning an adult-league quarterback into a franchise signal-caller, but McCarthy never looked fully settled after injuring his ankle in a Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The year became a slog of fundamentals talk and drying concrete.
To be fair, McCarthy - or maybe Kyler Murray - and the rest of the supporting cast have to be better in 2026. But O’Connell also has to clean up his own issues if he wants his first playoff win.
That’s the part hanging over him. His late-season and postseason track record hasn’t helped his case.
The Vikings lost a Wild Card game at home to the New York Giants in 2022. In 2024, they were overwhelmed by the Los Angeles Rams in a neutral-site game in Phoenix.
The Week 18 collapse against the Lions in 2024 also left the impression of a coach whose teams can look sharper in the regular season than when the pressure spikes.
And that matters in a division where every other coach has already won a playoff game during his tenure. O’Connell is the lone NFC North exception, and unless the Wilfs want him to become the modern-day Marvin Lewis, that has to change.
None of this makes a firing feel likely right now. O’Connell has won enough, and he already survived the firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. But the Vikings’ power structure has changed before, and if he doesn’t connect quickly with new general manager Nolan Teasley, the conversation around him could turn fast.
In Other News...
Vikings Fans Wont Like Where Kevin OConnell Just Landed
A recent NFC North coach ranking from Freddie Boston of Lombardi Ave did not do Kevin OConnell any favors, slotting the Vikings head coach fourth in the division. The placement was tied to a familiar concern around Minnesota: OConnell has guided some strong teams, but the overall body of work still leaves questions when compared with the rest of the divisions coaching group.
The bigger issue is the inconsistency that has followed the Vikings under OConnell, with strong stretches in even-numbered years and more uneven results in odd-numbered ones. In a division that keeps getting tougher, that kind of volatility is exactly what makes the upcoming season feel so important for Minnesota, especially with pressure building to show the program can sustain success rather than just flash it. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin O'Connell Just Kept The Vikings' QB Drama Alive
Kevin OConnell spent part of his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show doing what coaches often try to do in quarterback situations like this: keep the conversation open without tipping his hand. He framed the competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy as part of Minnesotas larger push to elevate the quarterback position, stressing that internal competition matters and that the club wants the process handled on a clear timeline before the regular season arrives.
Murray remains the name most observers point to as the frontrunner, but OConnell was careful not to lean into that publicly, leaving the door open for the battle to carry through training camp. The Vikings have no interest in letting the decision drift too deep into August, and with McCarthy trying to build on his first season as a starter, the next stretch should tell plenty about how firm the pecking order really is. [Read more 🡒]
This Vikings Rookie Class Could Force A Familiar Debate
The Vikings 2026 draft was shaped by a different hand than the one fans have grown used to, with Rob Brzezinski running the board as interim general manager after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired in late January. Brzezinski leaned hard into defense, using four of the first five picks on that side of the ball and adding linemen Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange, safety Jakobe Thomas and fullback-tight end Max Bredeson to a roster that needed help in more than one place.
That approach has already created the kind of summer conversation Minnesota has been missing for a while: which rookies can actually force their way onto the field right away. Banks and Orange could be asked to help up front, Thomas has a path at safety with Harrison Smiths future still unsettled, and Bredeson may be pushed into a larger role by simple roster math. For a team that has not gotten enough consistent return from recent drafts, the possibility of multiple first-year contributors is exactly the sort of debate that can shape how this class is remembered. [Read more 🡒]