Black Monday hasn’t even arrived yet in the NFL, and the coaching carousel already includes three current vacancies with more likely to follow, the Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel variables and Rex Ryan pushing for — and then landing — an interview with the Jets.
And another layer was introduced Sunday: multiple teams are thinking about trying to trade for Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, according to Fox Sports.
“There’s one candidate out there that’s going to surprise you all, that no one knows is on lists that he is,” Jay Glazer said during “Fox NFL Sunday” before a graphic showing a mystery coach changed to show O’Connell. “… And the reason why: Next year, the last year of his deal, had no contract talks yet at all. And look, if you’re a team out there saying, ‘Why not take a shot, see if we can do it.’
“Maybe the Vikings don’t let it happen, but also Kevin O’Connell kinda has the card saying, ‘Hey listen, I’m not gonna re-sign there, so you might as well get something for me.’ Now I don’t know, because obviously, I don’t think Kevin knows about this right now, but there are multiple teams who have them on that board to see, ‘Let’s at least try and see if we can trade for him.’”
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Saturday that the Vikings plan to start contract negotiations with O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — whose deals both expire following the 2025 season — after the current campaign, with co-owner Mark Wilf telling the outlet that the franchise is “looking forward to a great future with these guys.”
It’d be a shocking move given Minnesota’s 14-2 record entering Week 18 and O’Connell’s 34-16 record in the regular season since taking over in 2022.
O’Connell, 39, previously served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator and helped them win Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 before taking the Vikings’ job.
He guided them to the playoffs in his first season before falling to the Giants in the wild-card round, and Minnesota then missed the playoffs last season after Kirk Cousins’ season-ending Achilles injury sparked a revolving door of quarterbacks the rest of the year.
This year, O’Connell and the Vikings took another injury hit when rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus before the regular season even began, forcing former Jets castoff Sam Darnold into the starting lineup and laying the foundation for his revival — 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns — under O’Connell.
“I gotta say, if you’re Kevin O’Connell, the success he’s had, you’re surprised they haven’t locked him down,” analyst and former Giants star Michael Strahan said on “Fox NFL Sunday” after Glazer’s report. “That would be offensive.”
Earlier this season, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was the subject of trade rumors — with Pro Football Talk specifically posing the Bears as a destination — amid San Francisco’s struggles, but general manager John Lynch responded to the speculation by calling it “rather comical” during a radio interview.
