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[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. 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. 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. 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. To say I'm excited about coaching Justin for a really long time is an understatement.". 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). My main goal was just to connect with him and build on a relationship that I thought was strong already. 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. Linebacker Eric Kendricks referred to a fear-based culture in a conference call after the former HC and GM were let go and players acknowledged meeting with ownership in which they asked for improvements in the overall environment. The Vikings need to clear $23 million of 2023 salary to get under the cap. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's media day last week at the 2022 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. O'Connell and the Rams are coming off a victory in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The 33-year-old quarterback's $35 million base salary for 2022 became guaranteed last March . 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. Armando Salguero: Kevin O'Connell Believes Vikings Are Really - OutKick Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had career years in 2021. Those are things we got to answer. This is also a business. I dont know. Try a week on us. Brad Childress urged Minnesota to draft Tarvaris Jackson upon his arrival in the 2006, and then recruited Brett Favre as an act of desperation to lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. If they want a quarterback in this draft, they seem willing to find a way to get them. 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. The coach has made it a priority to educate himself on the particulars of the teams cap constraints. It's supposed to hurt. Browse our online application for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, or MLS player contracts, salaries, transactions, and more. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. So have expectations going forward, until "someday" can become "the day.". 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. 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. NFL.com keeps you up to date with all of the latest league news from around the NFL. The Raiders plan to place the franchise tag on running back Josh Jacobs if the sides cannot come to a deal on a long-term extension by Tuesday's deadline, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday. Behind The Scenes of Kevin O'Connell's Media Day at The Combine There was a mixed reaction to that pick. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. They needed more receivers on the field. There are times when hes mad and when Im mad. This time of year tends to be a difficult time when youre talking about players futures and how they affect the greater picture of our team, and those conversations are ongoing, he said. 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. 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. Spielman hand-picked Ponder to be his quarterback after watching a game against North Carolina and a couple of practices at the Senior Bowl. The Vikings are coming off a 13-win season, but also a disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs. "He has a tremendous football IQ and is passionate about preparing, developing and communicating with his players. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. That OConnell even cited this statistic demonstrates the team is thinking about how to fully maximize its offense. Were having conversations with our players, their representation, and ultimately how all of those things shake out will be done in a way where we just want to make sure we stand by what we believe in as an organization.. 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? 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. Sometimes how you have to mold and adapt how you play while still staying true to your football philosophy at its core and its not always easy to do, but hes demonstrated that hes been very successful doing it time and time again.. 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. Similarly to his GM one day earlier, the Vikings head coach couldnt make a strong statement about what the future would hold at QB. And its even stronger now, OConnell said. [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. 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. - Page 5 . (OConnell is 6-foot-5, so his frame provides a solid comparison.). Along the way, personal relationships grew. "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. I think we laid a foundation for where we want to go. Set to earn just $2.399 million in 2023, with a potential fifth-year team option in 2024, Jefferson is due a massive pay increase in line with his value. Some believe that is too rich for an aging playmaker and have subsequently speculated about Thielen's fate in 2023. But Adofo-Mensah gave his own review about his starting quarterback. 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. Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. Beyond the Xs and Os, everyone we spoke with throughout this search process spoke highly of Kevin's ability to motivate players, coaches and staff. Right. But Minnesota watched as Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Blaine Gabbert flew off the board. 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. 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. Asked about the Vikings long-term future at that position, OConnell said he surveys the landscape of the position each year out of habit. 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. Justin Jeffersons superstar turn. He reiterated that he is proud of the way Cousins played in 2022 and is looking forward to seeing the 34-year-old build on things in 2023. 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. O'Connell, 36, was a third-round pick . On third-and-8, for example, the Vikings personnel options were limited. The other was that the Vikings werent in a position to draft a quarterback, picking in the mid-20s for a majority of Greens tenure. [2] At La Costa Canyon, O'Connell lettered in both football and basketball. His team won 13 games and the NFLPA just said his teams culture was the best in the league. Minnesota Vikings' Kevin O'Connell 'excited to coach' Kirk Cousins in 2022. One thing he knows is that no matter how many As he got in a survey or wins he posted as a first-year coach, that doesnt mean they can do it all again the same way and get the same results.