Don't question the timing of Jay Glazer's coverage.
On the “FOX NFL Sunday'' pregame show that will be broadcast before the 18th week on January 5th, Insider's Jay Glazer has a surprising report. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has reportedly received trade interest.
Some questioned the timing of the report as Minnesota prepared to take on the Lions that night for the district title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
After the Vikings did in fact extend O'Connell's contract on Tuesday, NFL aggregator No. 33's Ali Meiroff (former Jets GM Mike, who has signed on to help the Jets find their next head coach) – The same company led by Tannenbaum) questioned the schedule and what appeared to be Glaser's intentions.
“There are so many questions about the Kevin O'Connell trade story that was announced on the morning of Week 18.” Maylov posted on X. “Teams were certainly interested in trading him, but the timing couldn't have been worse for the Vikings considering they were playing for the No. 1 seed that night.”
The Vikings collapsed from that point on, losing 31-9 to the Lions, missing out on a first-round bye, and suffering an equally embarrassing 27-9 playoff loss to the Rams in the subsequent wild-card game.
Glazer, who has worked as a studio analyst and reporter for FOX since 2004, tweeted a quote from Meilov's post and responded furiously to those who allege nefarious tactics taking advantage of his timing. Ta.
“Well, because our show was timed to air FOX NFL SUNDAY. Not Wednesday or Thursday. Sunday,” Glazer wrote. “For probably the last 15 years, I've been doing my annual coaching carousel segment on the same weekend every year, and I usually drop some unknown nugget that day. I don't work at Twitter, I work at FOX. I often keep the news for FOX only.
He added, “My job was to report on what was going on behind the scenes in some of these raids. To spoil the Vikings when they played the Lions. This story that I reported is the stupidest article I've ever read…and I've read some really stupid articles over the years.
Glazer also provided further context on reports regarding O'Connell, who is considered one of the best coaches in the NFL and could take home Coach of the Year honors after a 14-3 season.
“Oh, and by the way, yes, multiple teams were actually interested in trading for KOC. Yes, the Vikings were aware of it,” he wrote in a reply. “I never reported him being traded to the Vikings. That's up to the Vikings. It's just that he was on some teams that were looking to trade him. They didn't know what he was. I made the smart move to act quickly to ensure that I am happy to continue as the head coach of the Vikings in 2020.”
While Glazer showed off O'Connell's blockbuster, he also provided other news on the eve of Black Monday, including an accurate report that the Jaguars would fire Doug Pederson.
Fox had a video package in place while teasing that “there's one candidate that's going to surprise you,” but before the team attempts to capture the No. 1 seed in the NFC, it's clear that it's O'Connell. It turns out.
“There are actually multiple teams looking to trade Kevin O'Connell,” Glazer said. “Why? Next year is the last year of his contract. They haven't had any contract negotiations yet.”
With O'Connell locked in on a new contract and discussions over, the Vikings face a critical offseason in which they must figure out what to do at quarterback.
JJ McCarthy is rehabbing from multiple knee surgeries, while pending free agent Sam Darnold enters the offseason limping after playing his worst two games in a highly successful regular season. Ta.
