Minnesota Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings owner makes big admission about future of head coach, GM

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Aug 7, 2024 4:42 PM ET

Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf has a shiny new rookie quarterback and arguably the best receiver in the NFL locked up to a long-term contract extension. He expects to make the playoffs in 2024.

So, why hasn’t he signed head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who both have just two more years on their current deals, to contract extensions?

As he says, that’s not at the top of his priority list — at least not this year.

“It's not something we're talking about at this point,” Wilf said via ESPN. “I think that's fair [to say it'll wait until 2025.] I think right now we're just focusing on the season and putting those things aside for now.”

"I think they probably get three-year extensions, and it should come before free agency." #SKOL

– @jzulgad on the futures of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensa pic.twitter.com/NExbYSqMuF
— SKOR North - Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) August 7, 2024

There’s no need for Wilf to rush to sign his key decision-makers.

Both O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah wouldn’t become free agents until 2025, and Wilf hinted that he wanted to see certain things from both of them in 2024 before making any hard-and-fast decisions.

“We're going to evaluate all the factors that go into how we did and how we're doing,” Wilf added. “Everybody's evaluated the same way, on how they're performing. It's a competitive business. We have big expectations of our squad and feel very good about our direction under Kevin and Kwesi.”

The Vikings missed out on the playoffs last season. They got off to a 6-4 start, but they lost Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury after Week 8. Down the stretch, they lost six of their last seven to finish 7-10, one season after winning the NFC North.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

More must-reads: