Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell addresses trade rumors ahead of wild-card game at Rams

Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer dropped a bombshell when he reported this past weekend that multiple teams are interested in possibly acquiring Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell via a trade. 

While O'Connell said on Monday he was "not really interested in...addressing the rumors or speculation" as his 14-3 Vikings prepare to play a wild-card playoff game at the 10-7 Los Angeles Rams this coming Monday night, he strongly suggested he wouldn't welcome a move to a different club during the upcoming offseason. 

"What I can tell you is I love this team," O'Connell said, as shared by Kevin Seifert of ESPN. "I love everything about this organization. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to keep coaching and leading."

O'Connell signed a four-year contract when he accepted the Minnesota gig in February 2022, and he guided the club to a 13-4 record in his first season in charge. However, his Vikings ultimately suffered an upset 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the wild-card round of that postseason tournament, and Minnesota then finished last season at 7-10 after quarterback Kirk Cousins went down with a torn Achilles in Week 8. 

More recently, journeyman Sam Darnold became a revelation and a potential Comeback Player of the Year Award winner while working with O'Connell. According to Pro Football Reference, Darnold ended Week 18 ranked fifth in the NFL with 4,319 passing yards, fifth with 35 touchdowns through the air and 15th among qualified players with a 60.6 adjusted QBR. 

O'Connell added on Monday that his "sole focus at this point" is having the Vikings ready to play the Rams at SoFi Stadium. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Minnesota as a 1.5-point favorite for that showdown. 

Also on Tuesday, DraftKings Sportsbook had O'Connell as the betting favorite at -750 odds to claim the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award for this season. Seifert reported that Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf "have no interest in trading O'Connell," and it seems likely O'Connell will receive a contract extension from his current employer at some point between next week and the start of the 2025 campaign.