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. "He has a tremendous football IQ and is passionate about preparing, developing and communicating with his players. Quarterbacks are never far from OConnells mind. [20], On January 20, 2017, O'Connell was hired as the Washington Redskins' quarterbacks coach, working under head coach Jay Gruden. I think that's where we want to go eventually," Adofo-Mensah continued. Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson is "fired up" to work with Washington's new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on the futures of Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. "I feel like that foundation's in place. Sometimes how you have to reinvent yourself week in and week out, OConnell said. While OConnell answered gracefully about his colleague, it was a reminder that they didnt finish the year with a deep playoff run. O'Connell played quarterback at San Diego State University, and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. Login Here. But this regime doesnt seem to be looking for a quarterback, theyre looking for the quarterback. The more I can learn about details and particulars of our current situation, previous situations and what it looks like moving forward, OConnell said, the more my conversations can not only come from an accurate place of where we are but where we hope to get to.. O'Connell and the Rams are coming off a victory in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. 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. His teammates voted him as a captain for what he means not only to our organization but the Twin Cities. He noted that hes always going to evaluate all the quarterbacks out of habit and that he finds himself often looking at evaluations from years past, even when someone is coming available who came out in the draft a long time ago. in the 2012 draft. Some would take this as a sign the Vikings are ready to move on. So theres not one right way.. While they can feel reinforced by the results of the foundation laid in their first year, they also know a multitude of decisions await and all teams change from year to year. 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. Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. Kevin O'Connell: Vikings have 'some real decisions' ahead to get under salary cap By Alec Lewis Mar 1, 2023 14 INDIANAPOLIS Following his news conference Wednesday afternoon at the NFL. Also, by disabling these cookies you will also disable banner ads served by Google Adsense on this website.. For more information about these items, view our complete privacy policy.Read More. 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. Despite entering the league three years after Stafford, Cousins is also going into his age-34 season. And when I think about all that went into it, from a coaching staff standpoint, our players, our leadership of our core leaders and foundation of such a great leadership group that I was able to have in my first year as a head coach in the National Football League, I truly feel very fortunate and blessed," O'Connell added. Senior Editor. Is it to that standard? "I came from a business where your job is to not be emotional and if you make emotional decisions, you typically make bad decisions. The home runs and long ones are great, but as a play caller, Id love to be second-and-5. "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. 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. Its not always easy to maintain that, but I will never change from that because I just believe thats the way youre supposed to operate.. Follow us for breaking news and latest updates. But Minnesota watched as Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Blaine Gabbert flew off the board. 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. 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). I think theres a conversation to be had to really see what that looks like: playing time and roles and responsibilities.. 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). Kevin O'Connell Updates Adam Thielen's Status with Vikings OConnell explained Wednesday that that process ranged from reviewing game-management decisions to gauging his teams success in various schemes and plays. "Reflecting on what we were able to accomplish as a football team an NFC North title and 13 wins it goes beyond that. When you have the receiver that leads the league in yards and receptions and have three other guys with 60-plus, you feel really strongly about that group, and I still think that theres places to go where we can build upon it even more, OConnell mentioned about Justin Jefferson and his wide receiving corps. . The Minnesota Vikings have an intriguing decision on Adam Thielens future with the franchise, a team that has employed him since 2013. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, March 1, and he shed a little bit of light on what the team's goals are for the offseason. If they want a quarterback in this draft, they seem willing to find a way to get them. Some believe that is too rich for an aging playmaker and have subsequently speculated about Thielen's fate in 2023. 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. O'Connell's father, Bill, was a longtime FBI agent, and his mother, Suzanne, is a teacher. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. 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. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. But there was a sobering line of questioning from a New York reporter pertaining to Giants head coach Brian Daboll. The personnel department continued to be on the lookout for players who became available after their release by other teams, and the coaching staff usually helped integrate the acquired player quickly, whether it was Za'Darius Smith in Week 1 or T.J. Hockenson in Week 9. And none of the endings feature everyone who was around last year. A year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster. 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. Spielman hand-picked Ponder to be his quarterback after watching a game against North Carolina and a couple of practices at the Senior Bowl. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell fielded questions from the media on Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. I am committed to working tirelessly to bring them a Super Bowl championship.". At the same time, proud of what they've accomplished this year and look forward to the first day of the offseason program, when we get those guys back in here.". Adofo-Mensah was hired on Jan. 26, 2022 and O'Connell was named head coach on Feb. 16 after the Rams beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl. While some coaches chose not to attend this years combine, OConnell places considerable value on meeting players in person. [21] In 2019, under interim head coach Bill Callahan, O'Connell was promoted to offensive coordinator. Adofo-Mensah, who previously worked on Wall Street, was asked to assess where the Vikings stock is. But the things we did accomplish, I think, were incredibly impactful. The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale. 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. 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. But the biggest question on everybodys mind was what they were going to do with Kirk Cousins. For what its worth, SIs Albert Breer said on The Rich Eisen Show that many teams believe that the best quarterback prospects are still in college. As he reviewed the way defenses matched up against his team, OConnell noticed a trend. Cousins' 4,093 passing yards marked his third-consecutive 4,000-yard passing season, helping him become the 11th quarterback in NFL history to accomplish this feat. "Justin just had an incredible year, but what I liked about it the most was just the impactful plays at critical moments he made for our team, among a lot of our players," O'Connell said. 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) "Very thankful for him in Year 1 and really looking forward to seeing him growing both as a leader and continued dominance at the receiver position.". 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. Before the Super Bowl, Thielen said onESPNsFirst Take, I want to retire a Viking. ", "I don't want to be the Vikings GM without this guy on our team, so it's a priority," Adofo-Mensah said. Ive been very honest about that. He played one season for the Patriots behind QB Matt Cassel following a season-ending injury to QB Tom Brady. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, The Sopranos, and The Doors (the band). Following his All-Pro wideout's 1,809-yard, 128-catch, eight-touchdown campaign, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell believes Jefferson can soar even higher. Minnesotas approach to their franchise quarterback seems much more scientific. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA TODAY Sports). [But you] sit in exit meetings with players, and it becomes personal at that point," Adofo-Mensah said. Asked about the Vikings long-term future at that position, OConnell said he surveys the landscape of the position each year out of habit. O'Connell was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions on September 1, 2009. [12] Following his departure, O'Connell found that he had a torn labrum in his throwing arm, an injury he sustained during the preseason. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. Not only schematically, how people play against you, but the responsibility he has as a role model. O'Connell also helped the Rams offense tie for seventh in scoring offense (27.1 points per game) and score on 45.9% of their offensive drives, which ranked third in the NFL behind the Kansas City Chiefs (48.2) and New England Patriots (48.0). The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. For O'Connell to coach Jefferson for a "really long time," the star receiver will need a contract extension. That OConnell even cited this statistic demonstrates the team is thinking about how to fully maximize its offense. Right. O'Connell graduated from San Diego State University in December 2007 with a degree in political science. 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 by a Rams quarterback with 41, while also winning his first playoff game in his 13th season in the NFL. The Wilfs and the resources they give us to bring in the people, like [exectuive director of player health and performance] Tyler Williams, OConnell said. What was initially pitched as a competitive rebuild and trying to win on the margins morphed into setting an NFL record for the most one-score wins in a season (11-0) thanks to players who were led to become situational masters at key moments of close games. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. But Kevin OConnells comments later in the week made it sound like something bigger was in the works. 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). [25][26], On February 16, 2022, just three days after his Super Bowl LVI victory, O'Connell was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as the 10th head coach in their franchise history. He said it's between a startup and one with an ability to earn, adding "in our business, earning is wins. The third strategy is the one the Vikings currently employ, and it may be the option with the least room for error. To see the rest of the Kevin O'Connell's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. 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 process was complicated by the lack of free agency and offseason movement due to the NFLs player lockout. [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. So how will he balance the desire to maximize the benefits of the culture, keep the players who helped him implement it and improve on last season while dealing with the facts of life in a salary cap league? Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell isn't saying if Ed Donatell will return as defensive coordinator for the 2023 season. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. He categorized the current state of rushing in the NFL into three separate strategies: deploying a running quarterback, operating in the run-pass option world, and going the traditional route with run-pass deception from under center. Browse our online application for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, or MLS player contracts, salaries, transactions, and more. The Carlsbad, California, native and his wife, Leah, have two sons, Kaden and Kolten, and a daughter, Quinn. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. . 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. If I demand our team to improve in certain areas, OConnell said, Ive got to do the things we need to do as a staff.. 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.