Black Monday has yet to arrive in the NFL, but the coaching merry-go-round already includes three vacancies, with the Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel variables likely to follow, and the Jets' This is Rex Ryan, who pushed through and landed the interview.
And on Sunday, another layer was introduced. According to Fox Sports, multiple teams are considering trading for Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.
“There's one candidate who's going to surprise you. No one knows he's on the list,” Jay Glazer Speaking on “Fox NFL Sunday” Before the graphic showing the mystery coach was changed to one showing O'Connell. “…And the reason is that next year, the last year of his contract, there haven't been any contract negotiations yet. And, you know, if you say, 'Why don't you take a shot? If you're a team that says, 'Hey, let's give it a try,' take a look.
“Maybe the Vikings won't allow it, but Kevin O'Connell also has a card that says, 'Listen, I'm not going to re-sign there, so you better buy me something.' It's like, obviously, I don't think Kevin knows this right now, so I don't know, but I put them on the board to see, “Let's at least try and see if we can trade him.'' There are multiple teams. “”
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday that the Vikings: Plans to start contract negotiations The contracts between O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (whose contracts expire after the 2025 season) will take place after this season, and co-owner Mark Wilf said the team was “in a position to I'm looking forward to a great future.” ”
This is a shocking move considering the University of Minnesota's 14-2 record entering Week 18 and O'Connell's 34-16 regular season record since taking over in 2022. It will be.
O'Connell, 39, served as the Rams' offensive coordinator before joining the Vikings and helped them win Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.
He led the team to the playoffs in his first season, but lost to the Giants in the wild-card round, and the University of Minnesota was left with a revolving door of quarterbacks for the rest of the season due to Kirk Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury last season. occurred and missed the playoffs. .
This year, Coach O'Connell and the Vikings reinvigorated Sam Darnold, who left the Jets, into the starting lineup after rookie signal-caller JJ McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus injury before the regular season began. (4,153 yards). He has 35 touchdowns under O'Connell.
“If you're Kevin O'Connell, you'd be surprised they haven't locked him down given the success he's had,” analyst and former Giants star Michael Strahan told Glazer. He spoke on “Fox NFL Sunday'' in response to the report. “That would be offensive.”
Earlier this season, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was the subject of trade rumors amid San Francisco's struggles, but Pro Football Talk specifically singled out the Bears as a possible destination, but general manager John Lynch responded to the speculation during the game, calling it “pretty ridiculous.” radio interview.
