Minnesota Vikings Reportedly Hiring Kevin O’Connell as Head Coach

The Minnesota Vikings have had a busy offseason as they looked to fill both the general manager and head coach positions after firing both Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer upon conclusion of the 2021 season.

Their first move was to hire 40 year-old Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager as they vowed to let the new general manager have a say in who the new head coach would be.

Recently, they completed second interviews with Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell. Of course, despite conducting second interviews with those coaches, all the conversations as of late centered on an interview they had scheduled with Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh.

However, by Wednesday night Harbaugh had reportedly notified Michigan that he would be returning to coach for the program next season and beyond.

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With all the Harbaugh noise finally put to rest, the big question of who would be the next Vikings head coach remained. It didn't take long after the Harbaugh news broke for that question to be answered.

Wednesday night, multiple sources are reporting that Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell will be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. However, while they can reach a verbal agreement, no formal deal can be finalized until after the Super Bowl as O'Connell still has the big game to prepare for.

Kevin O'Connell, 36, played quarterback at San Diego State and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. During his NFL career he played for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and San Diego Chargers before retiring in 2012. O'Connell became a coach in 2015, serving as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington. With Washington, he served as quarterbacks coach for current Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

He became the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator in 2020 and he's help lead them to the Super Bowl in just his second season.

After having a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Zimmer, the Vikings ultimately decided to go with a new, young leader whose not only knows offense, but who also played quarterback in the NFL.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had said he wanted the next Vikings head coach to be a true partner and with Kevin O'Connell being just 36 years-old, they will form a very young tandem that could lead the Vikings for decades, if all goes as planned.