Vikings' Kevin O'Connell on trade rumors: 'This is where I want to be'

Emily Leiker, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 6, 2025

Published in Football

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MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said his complete focus is on his team’s upcoming wild-card matchup with the Rams when asked Monday about rumors that teams would like to acquire him via trade.

Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer said on-air during “Fox NFL Sunday” that “multiple teams” have interest in trading Minnesota for O’Connell, who’s 34-17 in regular-season play through three years leading the Vikings, his first head coaching job.

Five teams have head coaching vacancies as of Monday afternoon: Jets, Saints, Bears, Patriots and Jaguars.

“I’m not really interested in kind of addressing the rumors or speculation,” O’Connell said. “What I can tell you is I love this team. I love everything about this organization. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to keep coaching and leading.”

Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf told the Minnesota Star Tribune recently there are plans to talk contract extensions with both O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after the season ends.

Both of their contracts expire following the 2025 season.

O’Connell reflected on his own play calling Monday following Sunday night’s 31-9 loss against the Lions. The Lions secured the NFC’s No. 1 seed with the win and sent the Vikings packing for the West Coast as the fifth seed to play the fourth-seed Rams.

The Vikings offense put up the fewest yards (262) it had since Week 5 against the Jets in London (254) as quarterback Sam Darnold and key pieces around him struggled.

“At different times when maybe we didn’t make a play that could’ve changed the game, I gotta make sure that previous play doesn’t affect the way that I’m calling the game and attempt to find it on the next play or two or three plays later,” O’Connell said.

He is still without a postseason win on his head coaching resume. The Vikings lost to the Giants 31-24 in the wild-card round of the 2022 playoffs.

O’Connell was the offensive coordinator for the Rams under Sean McVay in 2021 when they lost the final game of the regular season and then went on to win Super Bowl LVI, which he mentioned Sunday night.

“We’re gonna get ready to play a football game, and hopefully get back to doing a lot of the things we’ve done pretty consistently all season long as a team,” O’Connell said.

The Vikings came out “relatively clean” health-wise from a physical matchup with the Lions, O’Connell said.

Running back Aaron Jones sat out the start of the second half due to some soreness with the quad injury he suffered against the Packers the previous week but returned and played through it. O’Connell said postgame that Jones would be fine this week.

O’Connell did not have an update Monday on outside linebacker Pat Jones II‘s availability for the week. Jones exited the Vikings’ win over the Packers on Dec. 29 with a knee injury and did not practice last week.

Cornerback Fabian Moreau, who has missed three games with a hip injury, could return to action against the Rams next Monday night.

“He was close this past week,” O’Connell said. “I’m expecting him to be able to progress through the week and be available.”

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