[27][28] O'Connell's Vikings hiring reunited him with quarterback Kirk Cousins, whom O'Connell had coached in 2017 (Cousins' final year with the Washington Redskins). Kevin O'Connell had some interesting things to say about the direction the Minnesota Vikings want to go as they look ahead to the 2023 NFL season. [14] He was later released again on July 29, 2011.[15]. So, well see what happens.. "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. The day the Vikings introduced defensive coordinator Brian Flores, OConnell mentioned the thorough self-evaluation process that took place when the season ended. Even if the Vikings agree to a long-term extension, they seem to be willing to wait until their version of Mr. The 2020 Rams offense featured the 10th-ranked rushing attack, posting 126.1 yards per game on the ground, behind two 600-plus rushing seasons from RB Cam Akers and RB Darrell Henderson. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah noted Tuesday that inking the wideout to a new contract is a "high priority. None of that means anything for what we do moving forward if we dont grow and evolve and change in a good capacity, OConnell said. OConnell said he values the way the aforementioned players embraced his hiring last year and appreciates the way they helped bring about an entirely new culture. That will motivate us to lead this organization to the place we want to go. Meetings with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski have helped OConnell in this regard. Right comes along. On Wednesday, OConnell said hes hoping that their shared experience in 2022 will help both sides satisfy their needs. INDIANAPOLIS Following his news conference Wednesday afternoon at the NFL Scouting Combine, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin OConnell met with a small group of beat writers. O'Connell was waived by the Patriots on August 30, 2009, two days after a preseason game in which starting quarterback Tom Brady was injured, and, in the second half, O'Connell threw two interceptions and only threw 3 completions on 10 attempts. [3] O'Connell graduated from La Costa Canyon in 2003. We always have to be evaluating, OConnell said. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. During the 2021 season, O'Connell's lone season with Stafford, the signal caller threw for the third-most passing yards (4,886) and second-most touchdowns (41) in the NFL, all while achieving his career-best 102.9 passer rating (in seasons with more than eight starts), the sixth-best in the NFL. And its even stronger now, OConnell said. Thielen joined the Vikings a decade ago as an undrafted special teamer and clawed his way up the depth chart to WR1 by the start of 2016. The rushing attack. But Adofo-Mensah gave his own review about his starting quarterback. A year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster. But in between 16-point wins against the Packers in Week 1 and Bears in Week 18 were plentiful memorable moments during a wild ride. But theres a foundation of care., OConnell said the conversations with Cousins are ongoing., Its not like theres some secret thing going on, OConnell said. Therefore, with free agency 11 days away, the Vikings and Thielen are firmly in the see what happens phase of the offseason, described by Thielen. From Week 14 through the wild-card loss to the Giants, the Vikings faced 190 snaps against defenses that played with the middle of the field open, by far the highest in the league during that period. None of that is to say OConnell is not evaluating quarterbacks in this years draft. So theres not one right way.. "He has a tremendous football IQ and is passionate about preparing, developing and communicating with his players. I am committed to working tirelessly to bring them a Super Bowl championship.". Along the way, personal relationships grew. Even as other quarterbacks such as Willis, Desmond Ridder, and Sam Howell were there in the latest rounds of the draft, the Vikings didnt pull the trigger. At first, Adofo-Mensah makes it sound like Cousins is the NFLs version of microwaving Chinese leftovers at midnight. Kupp, who was named The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year at last week's NFL Honors, had one of the best receiving seasons in NFL history, leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16), earning AP First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Justin Jeffersons superstar turn. I know this guy next to me and myself will lead and push and drive, because we don't want to feel this way, this early, ever again. We haven't shown our ability to come in year-in, year-out and do those things. The Vikings had several needs coming off a 15-win season in 1998. 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. The 33-year-old quarterback's $35 million base salary for 2022 became guaranteed last March . Asked about the Vikings long-term future at that position, OConnell said he surveys the landscape of the position each year out of habit. In addition to helping QB Jared Goff to his fourth consecutive of at least 3,800 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2020, O'Connell prepared QB John Wolford for a win-and-in game against the Cardinals in Week 17, helping him pass for 231 yards and rush for 56 more in his NFL debut, while leading the Rams to a 18-7 victory and a playoff berth. The Vikings Will Benefit From Their Revamped Team Culture, Theres One Ideal Way To Deal With Danielle Hunters Contract. Thielen notched 716 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022. "I feel like that foundation's in place. "That's what led to a historic number of one-score games and so that's probably been the hardest job is adjusting to those things. Quarterbacks are never far from OConnells mind. So, ultimately, we didn't accomplish the goals we wanted to accomplish, and I always want to be respectful of that. But the biggest question on everybodys mind was what they were going to do with Kirk Cousins. Kevin O'Connell signed a 1 year, - contract with the San Diego Chargers, including an average annual salary of -. [22] After the 201920 regular season, O'Connell was not retained by the incoming new head coach, Ron Rivera. $36.25 million against its salary . In the meantime, quarterbacks such as Heath Shuler, Trent Dilfer, and Jim Druckenmiller went off the board until Green finally saw a quarterback he liked in the 1999 draft, Daunte Culpepper. The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale. O'Connell, 36, was a member of the 49ers coaching staff (special projects) in 2016 and overlapped that season with new Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. "He understands what is critical to leading a team that wins at the highest level, and he has an ability to simplify the complex, which will help us in problem-solving in all football areas. "Unbelievable talent. If Levis or Richardson is the type of quarterback that answers those questions, the Vikings will likely do their best to move up. The survey of more than 1,300 players that looked at numerous aspects of an organization from facilities to treatment of families to training staff gave the Vikings the highest grade of any team in the NFL. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Vikings plan on interviewing Rams assistant head coach/running backs coach Thomas Brown for their offensive coordinator position under O'Connell. KARE 11 Sports Director. Aside from the quarterback situation which is like talking about building a house and saying other than the ground it stands on the Vikings will also consider the wants/needs/system of Brian Flores as they look for improvement on defense. . Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Top 10 Justin Jefferson plays | 2022 season, Vikings WR Justin Jefferson named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah compares team building through draft vs. through free agency, trades. "One of them said that she had been a long-time Vikings fan and always felt let down, and this team felt different to her," Adofo-Mensah said. Under O'Connell, Rams quarterbacks have thrown for 1,517 passing yards (third in NFL), 11 touchdowns (fourth in NFL) and a 106.4 passer rating in playoff games (second in NFL). The Carlsbad, California, native and his wife, Leah, have two sons, Kaden and Kolten, and a daughter, Quinn. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. Part of the reason for this is that the Vikings were still recovering from the Herschel Walker trade. When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stepped up to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine, he had several questions to answer about the Minnesota Vikings future. My main goal was just to connect with him and build on a relationship that I thought was strong already. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. Teams that typically played with one-high safety against most opponents often utilized two-high safeties against the Vikings. We want to be.". O'Connell is the latest in Sean McVay's coaching tree to land a head coaching job, following the likes of Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers and Zac Taylor with the Bengals. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. Minnesotas approach to their franchise quarterback seems much more scientific. In terms of the things that were different in 2022, the most noticeable were the approach to camp and preseason workloads, managing injuries and how players who were recovering from injuries were talked about publicly and the buy-in to quarterback Kirk Cousins. O'Connell, who led the Rams to finish ninth in total offense (372.1 yards per game) in 2021, helped his unit rank second in plays of 50-plus yards (10), fourth in yards per play (5.98) and eighth in offensive touchdowns (51) in 2021. Since O'Connell became an offensive coordinator in 2019, he has coached one Super Bowl MVP (Kupp), two Pro Bowlers (G Brandon Scherff and Kupp), one All-Pro (Kupp) and one PFWA All-Rookie Team member (McLaurin). Wanting to make those guys feel like their coach cares about them, both the person and the player, and their future, its real, OConnell said. "This is a franchise with a deep history and a tremendous fan base. In addition to impacting the culture within the building through an emphasis on building connectivity across the roster, the Vikings installed O'Connell's offense with Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips, a defensive system led by Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell and changed their special teams under first-year coordinator Matt Daniels. Cousins is entering the final year of his contract, and NFL Networks Tom Pelissero reported earlier in the week that he would not anticipate the type of one-year, fully-guaranteed extensions that the 35-year-old has signed in the past. Kevin O'Connell Updates Adam Thielen's Status with Vikings In football, as a junior, he passed for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. He also writes for Bring Me The News and The Viking Age and hosts The Homer Horn Podcast. Its still something I think about often, OConnell said of the loss to the Giants. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Weve got some real decisions to talk through and things to work through, OConnell said. ", 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. . Top Salaries Free Agents Extensions Tools Best Values Transactions Chargers Kevin O'Connell Embed This Chargers, QB Age: 37-208d Exp: Years Drafted: Round 3 (#94 overall), 2008 College: San Diego State Agent (s): - More Chargers - Contract Details Transactions Statistics Transactions Sep 4 2011 Claimed off waivers by New York (NYJ) With their limited salary cap . Is it to that standard? Before his NFL career ended in 2012, O'Connell spent time with the Miami Dolphins, a second-stint with the Jets and the San Diego Chargers. Kupp's 145 receptions and 1,947 receiving yards both ranked as the second-highest single-season totals in NFL history, trailing only Michael Thomas's 149 receptions in 2019 and Calvin Johnson's 1,964 receiving yards in 2012. No cards were shown when OConnell was asked about Flores and the cornerback position as it pertains to the draft but it would appear that Flores will be looking for players with flexibility, whether thats in terms of position or skill set. Before the Super Bowl, Thielen said onESPNsFirst Take, I want to retire a Viking. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson put on a show Saturday at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, making history during his highly anticipated workout. The New England Patriots selected O'Connell with their fourth pick (94th overall) in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Harrison Smith stats (2021): 73% completion % allowed, 98.7 QB rating allowed Already a projected $14 million over the 2022 NFL salary cap, the Vikings need to clear a ton of room. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Its just not possible when sitting $24 million over the cap (per OverTheCap.com) to bring all the veterans back. Kupp, who was named 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press and Super Bowl LVI MVP, had one of the best receiving seasons in NFL history, leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16), earning AP First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. [How do you] round him to make sure that you can win that way? Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in Photos, Kevin OConnell Brings Energy, Innovation as Vikings New Head Coach, 5 Things to Know About New Vikings Head Coach Kevin OConnell. Predictability, then, provides comfort to defenses. Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. O'Connell, who led the Rams to finish ninth in total offense (372.1 yards per game) this season, helped his unit rank second in plays of 50-plus yards (10), fourth in yards per play (5.98) and eighth in offensive touchdowns (51) in 2021. Really excited about Lewis and his mental growth through how he handled the adversity of that injury, OConnell said. He recently coached Stafford to a Super Bowl win, helping him post a 4-0 record in the postseason and 108.3 passer rating, which trailed only QB Josh Allen and QB Patrick Mahomes. NFL.com keeps you up to date with all of the latest league news from around the NFL. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. 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.

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