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. 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. On August 5, 2011, O'Connell signed with the Miami Dolphins, but was waived on September 3. OConnell is well aware. New Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he is "excited to coach" quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2022 and is "anticipating" him being a part of the team's plans. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell have only held their posts for a year, but they deserve the faith of the Vikings community. Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had career years in 2021. 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. Scouting Combine live updates Top 150 free agents Beat writer . In 2019, O'Connell helped guide rookie WR Terry McLaurin to 58 receptions, 919 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, the second-most receptions and third-most receiving yards and touchdowns among rookies in franchise history. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA TODAY Sports). "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. Following his release, the New York Jets re-signed O'Connell to a two-year deal. 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. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. 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. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. [29]. That will motivate us to lead this organization to the place we want to go. He takes it very seriously how much people and young kids look up to him. The Lions traded O'Connell to the New York Jets, for a 7th round 2011 draft pick, on September 6, 2009. 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. 1 in other areas before hiring OConnell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, particularly with a different attitude toward players and increased focus on sports science in the training room. But after a year on the bench, Culpepper took the Vikings into the next decade before suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in 2005. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Vikings fans should be excited for the future of this team under Kevin's direction. It comes down to efficiency, he said. I just watch the way he carries himself every single day and week. Hes the epitome of a hometown hero, universally loved, and the type of player who should retire with the Vikings. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. 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). OConnell also referenced fair compensation for his players at the NFL Combine, perhaps a nod to Thielens current contract and how it fits within Minnesotas free-agent navigability. He also held the same position for Washington in 2019 after serving as the team'spassing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "We have to make sure we do it in an order that we can do it in given all the other decisions we have to make.". Following his All-Pro wideout's 1,809-yard, 128-catch, eight-touchdown campaign, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell believes Justin Jefferson can soar even higher. The coach has made it a priority to educate himself on the particulars of the teams cap constraints. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. An NFLPA survey showed the Vikings as the best team for players in the league, bringing evidence that the changes they promised worked out, gave the Vikings the highest grade of any team in the NFL. Craig Peters. He isnt on the same tier as Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, but is good enough to hold down the position until they can find that player. 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. Thats the byproduct of trying to do things the way we do. "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. 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. But it was part of the process to find a long-term solution. Similarly to his GM one day earlier, the Vikings head coach couldnt make a strong statement about what the future would hold at QB. 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. Having been on the visitors' sideline at U.S. Bank Stadium and experiencing that environment as an opposing coach, I am excited to now have the support of these passionate Vikings fans. 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. He made his NFL debut on September 21, 2008, in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins, throwing his first four career passes and completing three. 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. EAGAN, Minn. Eleven months and a day after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah helped introduce Kevin O'Connell from a temporary stage constructed in Twin . Predictability, then, provides comfort to defenses. 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. No cards were shown when OConnell was asked about Flores and the cornerback position as it pertains to the draft but it would appear that Flores will be looking for players with flexibility, whether thats in terms of position or skill set. If not, they could ride Cousins another year and try their luck to acquire their guy in 2024. 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. In other words, hes going to look in the store window at this years draft class because he always does, whether he is shopping or not. Heck, it was even over 70 degrees outside. A lot of guys come in here and say they want to start in the NFL on Day 1. 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. . Its even stronger now. "We are ecstatic to add Kevin as our head coach," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. Justin Jeffersons superstar turn. We laugh. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. There are a few fundamental things that will influence decisions, starting with whether Cousins signs an extension. To provide the premier place to go to work and improve both personally and collectively as a team in our league means a lot to us, OConnell said. Spielman hand-picked Ponder to be his quarterback after watching a game against North Carolina and a couple of practices at the Senior Bowl. But in between 16-point wins against the Packers in Week 1 and Bears in Week 18 were plentiful memorable moments during a wild ride. During the 2009 preseason, O'Connell was claimed by the Detroit Lions and was then later traded to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick. Adofo-Mensah, who previously worked on Wall Street, was asked to assess where the Vikings stock is. The wait is over for Minnesota Vikings fans who were a bit . The last remaining head coach opening in the NFL has been filled. ", "Making sure that the standard of knowing we've got the culture, knowing we've got the right things going in this building," O'Connell said. "He has a tremendous football IQ and is passionate about preparing, developing and communicating with his players. 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. As he reviewed the way defenses matched up against his team, OConnell noticed a trend. They needed more receivers on the field. O'Connell was waived by the Patriots on August 30, 2009, two days after a preseason game in which starting quarterback Tom Brady was injured, and, in the second half, O'Connell threw two interceptions and only threw 3 completions on 10 attempts. Adofo-Mensah shared an anecdote from after the game when he was walking the concourse behind a group of fans. Minnesota Vikings new head coach Kevin O'Connell takes over a club that missed the postseason the past two seasons with losing records and hasn't won the NFC North since 2017. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. 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. 2023 Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC , All Rights Reserved. Were in a position to do a lot of different things regardless of field position, score of the game, personnel groupings.. 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 . Along the way, personal relationships grew. This organization saw a shift in how it was being defended from previous years to this year, OConnell said. To see the rest of the Kevin O'Connell's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Fired up to watch these guys this fall @b_petty14 @DWatford5 @EverettGolson @Connor_Cook03 @tannerlee12 @bharrisqb1 pic.twitter.com/2TNR1YJlHt But Kevin O'Connell's comments later in the week made it sound like something bigger was in the works. 3. 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..