Were going to continue to look at whats the best route to go moving forward (with Thielen), OConnell said. O'Connell is the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, so he can't officially become the Vikings' new head coach until after the Super Bowl. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and his wife Leah welcomed their fourth child to the family on Friday night, . He reiterated that he is proud of the way Cousins played in 2022 and is looking forward to seeing the 34-year-old build on things in 2023. On August 5, 2011, O'Connell signed with the Miami Dolphins, but was waived on September 3. Thielen will turn 33 this summer and incur a $19.9 million cap hit against the Vikings salary cap. ", "We've shown that we have a culture and an ability to do those things at a really high level," Adofo-Mensah said. Some believe that is too rich for an aging playmaker and have subsequently speculated about Thielen's fate in 2023. Heck, it was even over 70 degrees outside. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. He's McVay's second coordinator in two years to move on, joiningformer Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who is now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. One thing he knows is that no matter how many As he got in a survey or wins he posted as a first-year coach, that doesnt mean they can do it all again the same way and get the same results. Adofo-Mensah had to explain how the Vikings, a team in salary cap hell, were going to shed salary while building off the teams first 13-win season since 2017. 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. So have expectations going forward, until "someday" can become "the day.". 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 with 41, while also winning his first playoff game in his 13th season in the NFL. Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. The Vikings officially. Here are five takeaways from the conversation, beginning with OConnells thoughts on the free-agent decisions and potential cuts that will be made in the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday, OConnell said hes hoping that their shared experience in 2022 will help both sides satisfy their needs. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson put on a show Saturday at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, making history during his highly anticipated workout. Partnered with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group|Powered by, Signed a 1 year contract with Miami (MIA), Resigned a 2 year $1.25 million contract with New York (NYJ), Traded to NYJ from Detroit for a conditional draft pick, Signed a 4 year $2.46 million contract with New England (NE), Drafted by New England (NE): Round 3 (#94 overall). This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. 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. Some would take this as a sign the Vikings are ready to move on. Right. 4. Eagan, Minn. (February 15, 2022) The Minnesota Vikings have named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history. [20], On January 20, 2017, O'Connell was hired as the Washington Redskins' quarterbacks coach, working under head coach Jay Gruden. He isnt on the same tier as Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, but is good enough to hold down the position until they can find that player. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports. The direct work together began in April when Minnesota could start its offseason workout program and was followed by Organized Team Activities before a summer break that was followed by training camp, he preseason, regular season and postseason. Thats the byproduct of trying to do things the way we do. The last remaining head coach opening in the NFL has been filled. It is something Ive thought a lot about.. What I was really impressed with Justin this year was the leadership, the next step. Vikings Players Close Out Season with Locker Room Clean Out. If not, they have the luxury of having Cousins to buy more time. But Kevin OConnells comments later in the week made it sound like something bigger was in the works. At the 2008 NFL Combine, O'Connell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds; only University of San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson had a faster time. O'Connell and the Rams are coming off a victory in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Theres a reason I feel so strongly about Kirk. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. If O'Connell's staff likes a prospect like USC's Caleb Williams . . And its even stronger now, OConnell said. The Lions traded O'Connell to the New York Jets, for a 7th round 2011 draft pick, on September 6, 2009. [2] At La Costa Canyon, O'Connell lettered in both football and basketball. One of those decisions involves quarterback Kirk Cousins. Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had career years in 2021. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. ", "Making sure that the standard of knowing we've got the culture, knowing we've got the right things going in this building," O'Connell said. "As crazy as this sounds, leading the league in yards and receptions, I think he and I have just scratched the surface of where we want to go as an offense, particularly with him as our premier receiver," O'Connell said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah noted Tuesday that inking the wideout to a new contract is a "high priority. If OConnells staff likes a prospect like USCs Caleb Williams or North Carolinas Drake Maye, they may be better served to wait especially with an aging team that will face a harder schedule in 2023. The New England Patriots selected O'Connell with their fourth pick (94th overall) in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Even if the Vikings agree to a long-term extension, they seem to be willing to wait until their version of Mr. Its still something I think about often, OConnell said of the loss to the Giants. Is it to that standard? OConnell, though, sounded committed to making it work. The 34-year-old has put up good statistics over the years, including 33 TDs and seven interceptions last season, but he's never delivered any sustained postseason success. Spielman hand-picked Ponder to be his quarterback after watching a game against North Carolina and a couple of practices at the Senior Bowl. 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.. A former NFL quarterback who was a career backup, O'Connell has been the Rams' offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. 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 year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster. He called conversations ongoing about Cousinss future. But the. Weve got some real decisions to talk through and things to work through, OConnell said. OConnell explained Wednesday that that process ranged from reviewing game-management decisions to gauging his teams success in various schemes and plays. This organization saw a shift in how it was being defended from previous years to this year, OConnell said. A necessary condition is having a starter-level quarterback, Adofo-Mensah began. [2], O'Connell played in both the 2008 Hula Bowl and the 2008 East-West Shrine Game. INDIANAPOLIS -- Justin Jefferson led the NFL in receiving yards and receptions in 2022 while averaging 106.4 yards per game. Scouting Combine live updates Top 150 free agents Beat writer . O'Connell graduated from San Diego State University in December 2007 with a degree in political science. Browse our online application for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, or MLS player contracts, salaries, transactions, and more. New Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, some two weeks after reaching an agreement with the club to replace Mike Zimmer, can finally wear some purple. As a four-year captain at San Diego State, O'Connell finished his career after appearing in 40 games while ranking third in completions (664), fourth in passing yards (7,689) and fifth in passing touchdowns (46) in school history. The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year winner, Jefferson dominated opponents, generating 10 games over the 100-yard mark in O'Connell's first season in Minnesota. OConnell did note that safety Lewis Cine was ahead of schedule in his rehab from a severe leg injury suffered in London last season and that Cine has been at TCO Performance Center making regular stop-ins to his office. . It's supposed to hurt. "This is a franchise with a deep history and a tremendous fan base. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. "We have to make sure we do it in an order that we can do it in given all the other decisions we have to make.". ", O'Connell said the next step is "a championship standard" and that he wanted to wrap his evaluations and dialogue about the 2022 season the "way it should, with the same type of connection" with players and the "foundational building blocks of what we want to be. But Minnesota watched as Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Blaine Gabbert flew off the board. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. O'Connell and the Rams are coming. [4][5] At SDSU, where he was a four-year team captain, he started 21 games, the sixth-most among SDSU quarterbacks, and ranked first in school history in career rushing yards and second in career rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks; in 2007 he led the team in rushing yards. "I think we showed a building full of people, players, coaches, staff, ownership group, this guy next to me, would have the ability to be their best when their best is required. Coming off a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, O'Connell joins the Vikings after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams the past two seasons. In football, as a junior, he passed for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. The Vikings tried to identify another quarterback when trading up for Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. Sometimes how you have to mold and adapt how you play while still staying true to your football philosophy at its core and its not always easy to do, but hes demonstrated that hes been very successful doing it time and time again.. O'Connell's NFL coaching career began in 2015; he held various assistant coaching roles on the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Los Angeles Rams (where he won Super Bowl LVI, as offensive coordinator, in the 20212022 season). He later reiterated his own self reflection following the season, saying there were a lot of phases looking at everything from how game-management and play-calling tie together to how they handle all the aspects of players schedules to the scheme. Were in a position to do a lot of different things regardless of field position, score of the game, personnel groupings.. And trading him post June 1 would save the team $35 million of that against their cap. 2. Since then, there have been postseason appearances after the 2012 (loss in Wild Card), 2015 (loss in Wild Card), 2017 (loss in NFC Championship), 2019 (loss in Divisional) and 2022 (loss in Wild Card) seasons. But its hard not to wonder what would have happened if he looked ahead, saw Andrew Luck on the horizon and just rode the corpse of Donovan McNabb to the finish line to select Luck, Russell Wilson, or Cousins (!!!) NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Kevin O'Connell signed a 1 year, - contract with the San Diego Chargers, including an average annual salary of -. O'Connell worked on special projects with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, where he overlapped with Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He played one season for the Patriots behind QB Matt Cassel following a season-ending injury to QB Tom Brady. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. Craig Peters. These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. Kupp's wide receiver Triple Crown in 2021, which he won after leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16), joined him with WR Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers, 1990), WR Sterling Sharpe (Green Bay Packers, 1992) and WR Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers, 2005) as the only players since the 1970 merger to achieve this feat. "Unbelievable talent. Part of their jobs during the comprehensive evaluation process will be setting aside those personal relationships and not letting them interfere with the process of building the 2023 Vikings to have the best chance at a championship and be within the constraints of the NFL's salary cap.

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