Kevin O'Connell makes huge statement about Vikings future after playoff loss

Before the Minnesota Vikings suffered a 27-9 wild-card playoff loss at the Los Angeles Rams this past Monday, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell became the subject of some interesting trade rumors with his current contract set to expire after the 2025 season. 

O'Connell spoke with reporters on Thursday and left little doubt about his intentions for the future.

"I do," O'Connell said about wanting to put pen to paper on an extension this offseason, as shared by Kevin Seifert of ESPN. "I do. I've had great dialogue with our ownership this week and reflection as the season came to an end. Anything beyond that, I would prefer to kind of keep those discussions internal."

O'Connell signed a four-year contract when he accepted the Minnesota job in February 2022 and has since gone 34-17 across three regular seasons. However, his Vikings suffered an upset 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the wild-card round of the postseason tournament back in January 2023. More recently, a 14-2 Minnesota side fell to the Detroit Lions in a Week 18 showdown that determined the champions of the NFC North and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs back on Jan. 5. 

The Vikings were then dominated by the Rams largely because quarterback Sam Darnold endured a nightmare outing that included losing a postseason-record 82 yards on nine sacks. 

A report from earlier this week claimed that there was some "tension in the relationship" between O'Connell and Vikings ownership. He indicated on Thursday that relationship is just fine. 

"What I would say is I love being the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings," O'Connell added during his comments, "and with that comes the fact that I love our ownership. I have a great relationship with our ownership and feel so fortunate, not only just the way they support us and believe in us, but also the impact they have on our players, on our locker room and ultimately where we all want to go together. Feel very, very great about that."

Rumors about teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears possibly making a blockbuster trade for a head coach such as O'Connell could understandably make some Minnesota fans nervous, but it sounds like he's quite settled with his current employer. While Vikings ownership likely wants O'Connell to guide the club to more than just a playoff berth next season, logic suggests the franchise should lock such a successful coach down via an earned extension sooner rather than later.