", "We've shown that we have a culture and an ability to do those things at a really high level," Adofo-Mensah said. His teammates voted him as a captain for what he means not only to our organization but the Twin Cities. Youve got to ask yourself the question: Why?. Thielen will turn 33 this summer and incur a $19.9 million cap hit against the Vikings salary cap. We want to be.". The Vikings tried to identify another quarterback when trading up for Teddy Bridgewater in 2014. Kentucky's Will Levis, a likely top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, spoke Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine and -- in under 15 minutes -- presented himself as arguably the most self-assured QB in this year's class. But even if he didnt injure his knee at Winter Park, its fair to wonder if he would have ever become the long-term franchise quarterback. O'Connell, a former backup NFL quarterback who spent time with five different teams, knows the business from a player's side and coach's side. The victories and records set on the way to winning the NFC North for the first time since 2017 enabled Minnesota to host a playoff game for the first time in five years, but that excitement ended abruptly Sunday when the Giants topped the Vikings 31-24. We always have to be evaluating, OConnell said. If they want a quarterback in this draft, they seem willing to find a way to get them. Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had a career years in 2021. 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. O'Connell compared Cousins to Matthew Stafford, calling each an "elite thrower," via Tomasson (on Twitter ). 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. As a player, O'Connell was drafted in the third round (94th pick) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots out of San Diego State. I am committed to working tirelessly to bring them a Super Bowl championship.". The Minnesota Vikings have made the hiring of Kevin O'Connell as their new head coach official by sharing the news on social media. Weve got some real decisions to talk through and things to work through, OConnell said. 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. He played one season for the Patriots behind QB Matt Cassel following a season-ending injury to QB Tom Brady. Following his release, the New York Jets re-signed O'Connell to a two-year deal. 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. Thats because talking about culture is a good way to spend time talking about anything else other than upcoming decisions, draft philosophies, scheme changes etc. He spent his childhood in Carlsbad, California, where he attended La Costa Canyon High School. We're still feeling that here, but I will say that hurt, that sting, that will drive us. Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. [4] He was the Kai team quarterback in the 2008 Hula Bowl, where he led the offense and was one of the Kai team's only bright spots. The Minnesota Vikings announced Wednesday that Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell has been hired as the 10th head coach in franchise history. The Minnesota Vikings have committed to quarterback Kirk Cousins for the next two seasons, banking on further improvement under new head coach Kevin O'Connell. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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. [20], On January 20, 2017, O'Connell was hired as the Washington Redskins' quarterbacks coach, working under head coach Jay Gruden. In basketball, he was a two-year letterman, and a teammate of Arizona standout Chase Budinger. One element of his teams play that must improve? 5. Its just not possible when sitting $24 million over the cap (per OverTheCap.com) to bring all the veterans back. 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. We haven't shown our ability to come in year-in, year-out and do those things. I think the priority first and foremost is giving him time to evaluate our roster with our young players and some of our veteran players and see how pieces may fit, 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. They needed more receivers on the field. Kevin William O'Connell (born May 25, 1985), nicknamed "KOC",[1] is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). The Vikings need to clear $23 million of 2023 salary to get under the cap. "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. At the end of the day Wednesday, the Vikings head coach left the building with one of the easier media sessions youll ever run across in the NFL. Despite entering the league three years after Stafford, Cousins is also going into his age-34 season. 3. What I was really impressed with Justin this year was the leadership, the next step. [29]. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, The Sopranos, and The Doors (the band). On August 31, 2010, New York released O'Connell. We want to be there consistently with the chance to win it.". O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah have emphasized collaboration throughout their first year together, and the first-time head coach picked up where the first-time GM left off: "As I told our team it's supposed to sting. The idea. If you tell me Im second-and-5, here we go. While OConnell answered gracefully about his colleague, it was a reminder that they didnt finish the year with a deep playoff run. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. Prior to joining the Rams, O'Connell worked in Washington, serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2017-18 and the offensive coordinator in 2019. 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. O'Connell was asked today if Donatell will be back and didn't . 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. The third strategy is the one the Vikings currently employ, and it may be the option with the least room for error. The Vikings head coach compared all of the moving parts to puzzle pieces but its more like a choose-your-own-adventure book because each choice with Player X impacts Player Y and the combination of all of the decisions takes you to a different endpoint. Jan 19, 2023 at 10:00 AM. For O'Connell to coach Jefferson for a "really long time," the star receiver will need a contract extension. 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. Thielen will turn 33 this summer and incur a $19.9 million cap hit against the Vikings salary cap. O'Connell and the Rams are coming. Theres a reason why I feel so strongly about Kirk, OConnell said. 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. Quarterbacks are never far from OConnells mind. So have expectations going forward, until "someday" can become "the day.". Hes the epitome of a hometown hero, universally loved, and the type of player who should retire with the Vikings. [24] In O'Connell's second season with the Rams, their offense ranked 2nd best in receiving touchdowns (41), 5th highest in total yards (4,893), 8th best in total touchdowns (63), and the team won Super Bowl LVI (defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, 2320). Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whose size has been a matter of conjecture in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, officially measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds on Saturday. . "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. 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. 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.". Conversely, when the Vikings ran for zero or negative yards on first down, something they did more than any other team in the league aside from the Jaguars, they would then be fighting uphill. O'Connell oversaw the production of three quarterbacks in 2019, specifically rookie QB Dwayne Haskins, Jr. Once Haskins, Jr., became the full-time starter in Week 9, he passed for 1,225 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions and an 85.5 passer rating. 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. Heck, it was even over 70 degrees outside. I'm sure a lot of fans will be going through that right now, and that hurts to hear, I can't lie, but I understand where that's coming from. What he means to our league, how he carries himself, how he works every day. But after a year on the bench, Culpepper took the Vikings into the next decade before suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in 2005. This is also a business. This year brings a different scenario. They worked with players they inherited, quickly assessing who was set to return and how to try to add pieces they deemed missing through a strategic approach to free agency and proceeding through the 2022 NFL Draft. O'Connell was signed by the San Diego Chargers on July 29, 2012, to serve as an emergency back-up in the Chargers' practices with Charlie Whitehurst suffering an injury and Kyle Boller announcing his retirement from the league. That, more than anything, is what OConnell wants to eliminate. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Jul 21 2008 Signed a 4 year $2.46 million contract with New England (NE) [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. The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 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). Furthermore, the Rams' 1,186 passing yards in the 2021 playoffs were the most in NFL history,surpassing the 2011 New York Giants (1,144).O'Connell helped Kupp (478) and Beckham, Jr., (288) post a combined 766 receiving yards in the playoffs, the most be any wide receiver duo this postseason. ". 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. [22] After the 201920 regular season, O'Connell was not retained by the incoming new head coach, Ron Rivera. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and has written for Yahoo, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kansas City Star, among many other places. O'Connell also played for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and San Diego Chargers before retiring in 2012. He believes he's the best receiver in football -- I happen to agree with him -- and a lot goes with that. It meets that first threshold, and thats a question that a lot of people cant answer with a yes. So we have got to make sure that we treat that in the proper importance it is.. Kevin is currently the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and his salary is $84 million for three years. It is something Ive thought a lot about.. Some would take this as a sign the Vikings are ready to move on. 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. Kevin William O'Connell (born May 25, 1985), nicknamed " KOC ", [1] is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). 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'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. "We are ecstatic to add Kevin as our head coach," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. There are a few fundamental things that will influence decisions, starting with whether Cousins signs an extension. Quarterback Mike White said he'd like to return to the New York Jets, but knows it might not happen as he heads toward free agency. 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. Will that happen? 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. Kevin O'Connell, fresh off a Super Bowl victory as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator, was introduced as the Minnesota Vikings next head coach on Thursday, and the big takeaway from . His net worth is somewhere between $30 million to $35 million. In football, as a junior, he passed for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. O'Connell led the Vikings to a 134 record on the season, tying Matt LaFleur and Jim Harbaugh for the second-most wins for a rookie head coach in NFL history. Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. Just scratching the surface with #18 pic.twitter.com/MpWlPV7MoN, And then, ultimately, OConnell said, youve got to ask: How do we use that information to our advantage moving forward?. We laugh. I think that's where we want to go eventually," Adofo-Mensah continued. View photos of new Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in photos from his time with the Rams. [10], He was named a team captain for the September 20 game against the New England Patriots.[11]. 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. Anchored by T Andrew Whitworth, the oldest offensive lineman in the NFL, the Rams offensive line only allowed 56 sacks in the two years O'Connell was in Los Angeles, which was good for the seventh-fewest among NFL clubs. The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale. "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. These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. 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. But the quarterback position, both the understanding of where that player truly is when you get a chance to start coaching him, and then what your plan is for that player moving forward.. As he reviewed the way defenses matched up against his team, OConnell noticed a trend. 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. On February 17, 2015, it was announced that O'Connell was named to the position of quarterbacks coach of the Cleveland Browns for the 2015 NFL season. The Vikings had several needs coming off a 15-win season in 1998. Login Here. All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com. I believe in him as a player.. 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 (!!!) "But I wouldn't say that we're that established, 'there' team because we haven't shown it yet. The process was complicated by the lack of free agency and offseason movement due to the NFLs player lockout. Is there a chance to add somebody maybe with different skill sets? My main goal was just to connect with him and build on a relationship that I thought was strong already. 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. Adofo-Mensah admitted his elevation to GM brought him more exposure to the human elements than when he was advancing through the research-and-development departments with the 49ers and Browns. I just watch the way he carries himself every single day and week. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. Here are five things to know. 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. ", 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) One of those decisions involves quarterback Kirk Cousins. Teams that typically played with one-high safety against most opponents often utilized two-high safeties against the Vikings. 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. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. That will motivate us to lead this organization to the place we want to go. The Patriots gave no explanation for releasing O'Connell, who was in competition with veteran quarterback Andrew Walter, signed after his release from the Oakland Raiders, and undrafted free agent rookie Brian Hoyer of Michigan State. Scouting Combine live updates Top 150 free agents Beat writer . However, neither seem like a good option now. KARE 11 Sports Director. Were going to continue to take a look at whats the best route to go moving forward in that room, as are all the other rooms. $36.25 million against its salary . The offensive coordinator from the 2022 Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O'Connell, is finalizing his head coaching contract with the Minnesota Vikings. A year later, they have far more expertise of the Vikings' roster.
Jenison Public Schools Superintendent,
How To View Shop Policies On Depop,
Articles K