[2], O'Connell played in both the 2008 Hula Bowl and the 2008 East-West Shrine Game. For what its worth, SIs Albert Breer said on The Rich Eisen Show that many teams believe that the best quarterback prospects are still in college. Login Here. The Dallas Cowboys will place the franchise tag on running back Tony Pollard if the two sides cannot reach a long-term deal before March 7's deadline, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, per sources. On third-and-8, for example, the Vikings personnel options were limited. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Understanding the goals of culture and the goals of building up through our leadership and setting a foundation and platform for every individual in this building to feel like they can thrive and grow and eventually reach their truest, highest potential. A former NFL quarterback who was a career backup, O'Connell has been the Rams' offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. On Tuesday, Adofo-Mensah explained that Cousins camp wants certainty if he is to sign a new deal, while the Vikings seek flexibility. Jul 21 2008 Signed a 4 year $2.46 million contract with New England (NE) Linebacker Eric Kendricks referred to a fear-based culture in a conference call after the former HC and GM were let go and players acknowledged meeting with ownership in which they asked for improvements in the overall environment. 5. O'Connell is the son of a former FBI agent. Teams that typically played with one-high safety against most opponents often utilized two-high safeties against the Vikings. If not, they have the luxury of having Cousins to buy more time. The more I can educate myself, learning about the details and particulars of our current situation, our previous situation, and obviously what it looks like moving forward, the more my conversations can be not only from an accurate place of where we are at this moment but where we hope to get to, OConnell said. He also writes for Bring Me The News and The Viking Age and hosts The Homer Horn Podcast. NFL.com keeps you up to date with all of the latest league news from around the NFL. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. converting part of right tackle Brian O'Neill's base salary to a signing bonus. [How do you] round him to make sure that you can win that way? In other words, hes going to look in the store window at this years draft class because he always does, whether he is shopping or not. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! So theres not one right way.. Were going to continue to take a look at whats the best route to go moving forward in that room, as are all the other rooms. That, more than anything, is what OConnell wants to eliminate. Whatever the plan, timing is everything for the Vikings. Having been on the visitors' sideline at U.S. Bank Stadium and experiencing that environment as an opposing coach, I am excited to now have the support of these passionate Vikings fans. Maybe its not even for any one particular year.. Some would take this as a sign the Vikings are ready to move on. What I was really impressed with Justin this year was the leadership, the next step. Also, by disabling these cookies you will also disable banner ads served by Google Adsense on this website.. For more information about these items, view our complete privacy policy.Read More. Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in Photos, Kevin OConnell Brings Energy, Innovation as Vikings New Head Coach, 5 Things to Know About New Vikings Head Coach Kevin OConnell. Pelissero noted that Brown, who interviewed for the Miami Dolphins head coaching position, is considered a "rising assistant" and is a candidate to replace O'Connell in Los Angeles. [24] In O'Connell's second season with the Rams, their offense ranked 2nd best in receiving touchdowns (41), 5th highest in total yards (4,893), 8th best in total touchdowns (63), and the team won Super Bowl LVI (defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, 2320). We want to be there consistently with the chance to win it.". O'Connell has an older sister, Kelly, who is an attorney. He called conversations ongoing about Cousinss future. In addition to impacting the culture within the building through an emphasis on building connectivity across the roster, the Vikings installed O'Connell's offense with Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips, a defensive system led by Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell and changed their special teams under first-year coordinator Matt Daniels. At first, Adofo-Mensah makes it sound like Cousins is the NFLs version of microwaving Chinese leftovers at midnight. One of the last times I spoke with you [after roster reductions to 53], I was up here, and I think someone told me my appearance was a little more dour than it normally is and that was because that was two emotional days of having to tell people no and having to say, 'Your dream is stopped for the day.' Adofo-Mensah admitted his elevation to GM brought him more exposure to the human elements than when he was advancing through the research-and-development departments with the 49ers and Browns. So, ultimately, we didn't accomplish the goals we wanted to accomplish, and I always want to be respectful of that. ", "As I spent time with Kevin during the interview process, it became immediately clear he will be a great partner in building this football team for long-term success," said Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Spielman hand-picked Ponder to be his quarterback after watching a game against North Carolina and a couple of practices at the Senior Bowl. One element of his teams play that must improve? Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whose size has been a matter of conjecture in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, officially measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds on Saturday. As he reviewed the way defenses matched up against his team, OConnell noticed a trend. Adofo-Mensah had to explain how the Vikings, a team in salary cap hell, were going to shed salary while building off the team's first 13-win season since 2017. . Since O'Connell became an offensive coordinator in 2019, he has coached one Super Bowl MVP (Kupp), two Pro Bowlers (G Brandon Scherff and Kupp), one All-Pro (Kupp) and one PFWA All-Rookie Team member (McLaurin). Try a week on us. Stafford set the single-season team record for passing yards (4,886) and tied Kurt Warner from his 1999 MVP season for the most passing touchdowns in a season by a Rams quarterback with 41, while also winning his first playoff game in his 13th season in the NFL. Thielen notched 716 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022. Kevin O'Connell: Vikings have 'some real decisions' ahead to get under salary cap By Alec Lewis Mar 1, 2023 14 INDIANAPOLIS Following his news conference Wednesday afternoon at the NFL. On Wednesday, OConnell said hes hoping that their shared experience in 2022 will help both sides satisfy their needs. By COURTNEY CRONIN. All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com. From Week 14 through the wild-card loss to the Giants, the Vikings faced 190 snaps against defenses that played with the middle of the field open, by far the highest in the league during that period. Adofo-Mensah shared an anecdote from after the game when he was walking the concourse behind a group of fans. That will motivate us to lead this organization to the place we want to go. In 2019, O'Connell helped guide rookie WR Terry McLaurin to 58 receptions, 919 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, the second-most receptions and third-most receiving yards and touchdowns among rookies in franchise history. When you have the receiver that leads the league in yards and receptions and have three other guys with 60-plus, you feel really strongly about that group, and I still think that theres places to go where we can build upon it even more, OConnell mentioned about Justin Jefferson and his wide receiving corps. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. I'm sure a lot of fans will be going through that right now, and that hurts to hear, I can't lie, but I understand where that's coming from. Aug 30 2009 Released by New England. Prior to joining the Rams, O'Connell worked in Washington, serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2017-18 and the offensive coordinator in 2019. This organization saw a shift in how it was being defended from previous years to this year, OConnell said. "And then, sure enough, she ended up in the same place. View photos of new Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in photos from his time with the Rams. The New England Patriots selected O'Connell with their fourth pick (94th overall) in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Were having conversations with our players, their representation, and ultimately how all of those things shake out will be done in a way where we just want to make sure we stand by what we believe in as an organization.. Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. The Vikings announced their agreement in principle with Cousins on a one-year contract extension Sunday the latest high-leverage deal that Cousins has successfully bet on himself with and the clearest sign yet that the Vikings aren . The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, March 1, and he shed a little bit of light on what the team's goals are for the offseason. The Minnesota Vikings have committed to quarterback Kirk Cousins for the next two seasons, banking on further improvement under new head coach Kevin O'Connell. This time of year tends to be a difficult time when youre talking about players futures and how they affect the greater picture of our team, and those conversations are ongoing, he said. Justin Jeffersons superstar turn. OConnell explained Wednesday that that process ranged from reviewing game-management decisions to gauging his teams success in various schemes and plays. Adofo-Mensah, who previously worked on Wall Street, was asked to assess where the Vikings stock is. In basketball, he was a two-year letterman, and a teammate of Arizona standout Chase Budinger. What was initially pitched as a competitive rebuild and trying to win on the margins morphed into setting an NFL record for the most one-score wins in a season (11-0) thanks to players who were led to become situational masters at key moments of close games. Kevin William O'Connell, nicknamed "KOC", is an American former player and a football coach who is the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He also held the same position for Washington in 2019 after serving as the team'spassing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. And when I think about all that went into it, from a coaching staff standpoint, our players, our leadership of our core leaders and foundation of such a great leadership group that I was able to have in my first year as a head coach in the National Football League, I truly feel very fortunate and blessed," O'Connell added. The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. He and Adofo-Mensah greet each prospect when they enter the room both to establish their culture of care and provide other Vikings staffers in the room a glimpse at the players size. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. "We are ecstatic to add Kevin as our head coach," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. In addition to helping QB Jared Goff to his fourth consecutive of at least 3,800 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2020, O'Connell prepared QB John Wolford for a win-and-in game against the Cardinals in Week 17, helping him pass for 231 yards and rush for 56 more in his NFL debut, while leading the Rams to a 18-7 victory and a playoff berth. A year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster. For O'Connell to coach Jefferson for a "really long time," the star receiver will need a contract extension. There was a mixed reaction to that pick. Right. O'Connell was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played quarterback at San Diego State University. [25][26], On February 16, 2022, just three days after his Super Bowl LVI victory, O'Connell was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as the 10th head coach in their franchise history. But Adofo-Mensah gave his own review about his starting quarterback. . And its even stronger now, OConnell said. You do hope it was a perfect world where you can have everybody and have everybody finish their careers where they should and feel great about it, but its just so hard to do and still build for the future the way the rules are set up, OConnell said. "When you involve people, it can make the job a lot tougher, but I also think the people aspect is what culture is and that's important," Adofo-Mensah added. To see the rest of the Kevin O'Connell's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. A significant part of the positive culture was OConnell and Cousins working together in lockstep. Kevin O'Connell Offensive Scheme Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator, Kevin O'Connell has been chosen to become head coach of the Minnesota Vikings officially after the Super Bowl on February 13, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Despite entering the league three years after Stafford, Cousins is also going into his age-34 season. Weve got some real decisions to talk through and things to work through, OConnell said. Follow Alec on Twitter @alec_lewis. It meets that first threshold, and thats a question that a lot of people cant answer with a yes. So we have got to make sure that we treat that in the proper importance it is.. The Minnesota Vikings have made the hiring of Kevin O'Connell as their new head coach official by sharing the news on social media. Kevin O'Connell signed a 1 year, - contract with the San Diego Chargers, including an average annual salary of -. The assessments of inherited players were made a year ago through film study and advanced metrics. The Vikings were unable to officially announce that they were hiring O'Connell until after Los Angeles' playoff run came to an end. pic.twitter.com/WKHqPZU8ea, Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 1, 2023. The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale.