The Vikings‘ season wrapped up this week, and just when you think things are winding down. A Pat McAfee podcast drops some wild news about head coach Kevin O’Connell. You’re probably thinking, ‘Why are we even talking about the HC’s future? He crushed it this season!‘ And you’re spot on—O’Connell led the Vikings to an impressive 14 wins, putting the team on the map. But here’s the kicker: despite all that success, his contract situation is still hanging in the balance. And we got some tea for ya!

NFL Insider Adam Schefter threw a little warning out there. Saying if the Vikings don’t step up and make O’Connell a fair offer, he might just dip. “If the Wilfs don’t step up and give him what we all would agree in an objective way is a fair offer, Kevin O’Connell could say, ‘I’m not going to sign that,’ and then he goes into the last year of his contract,” Schefter said. And if he does hit the open market? O’Connell could easily score around $12-$14 million a year, depending on how next season plays out. Not my words, Schefter said. “If he had the kind of season next year that he did this past year, my guess is Kevin O’Connell is in the $12-$14 million range,” Schefter added.

Even though O’Connell’s been straight-up crushing it, the Vikings still haven’t locked him down long-term. Schefter pointed out that teams who actually see a coach as their future don’t let them play out their last year without a deal. “I think teams that have coaches who they’ve identified as their future don’t typically let guys go into the last year of their deal,” he said. If the Vikings keep dragging their feet, O’Connell’s value is only going to rise, and that means it’s gonna get way harder to keep him.

Pat McAfee also jumped in, hyping O’Connell’s leadership. “He won 14 games this season with a QB getting paid $13 million who’s never had success before,” McAfee said. “He’s THE guy.” It’s clear O’Connell’s the real deal, and the Vikings can’t sleep on this. If they don’t act fast, they might lose the guy who turned everything around in Minnesota.

Now that the Vikings’ season is done, the clock’s ticking for the Wilf family to make their move. It’s crunch time: either they step up and pay O’Connell what he deserves, or they risk watching him get snatched up by another team with cash ready to roll. With O’Connell’s value peaking after this fire season, the ball’s in their court. Before the podcast, though, Kevin made his stance crystal clear, and honestly, we kinda saw this coming.

The ‘clear’ stance of the HC

Kevin O’Connell just made it crystal clear he’s not going anywhere. ‘Let the man stay for real.’ He wants to stay with the Vikings, so why not? When talking to reporters this week, he cut short and said, “I do. I do want to put pen to paper on an extension this offseason.” He’s been vibing with the Vikings’ ownership and reflecting on the season. “I’ve had great dialogue with our ownership this week,” O’Connell said, but he’s keeping the rest of the deets on the down-low for now.

Since signing his 4-year deal in 2022. Kevin O’Connell has done wonders. With a 34-17 record across three seasons, if you ask me, that’s a solid number. But, Sure, the Vikings took an L to the Giants in the playoffs last year and had that wild Week 18 loss to the Lions, but they still went 14-2 in the regular season. That’s mad growth under his leadership.

Now that the season’s done, it’s up to the Wilf family to lock it in. O’Connell’s made it clear he’s ready to keep leading the squad. Locking him down could be exactly what the Vikings need to keep that momentum going and start pushing for that Super Bowl. Time for the Vikings to make the move with no more waiting around.