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Vikings Plan To Hire Rams’ Kevin O’Connell

February 2nd, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after the Jim Harbaugh news surfaced, the Vikings appear to have their new top choice identified. They are targeting Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for the job, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The Vikings appear serious here, with ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano adding the team called its other finalists to inform them they are no longer in the running for the job (Twitter link). That points to a strong indication O’Connell is on board to succeed Mike Zimmer. Minnesota had Giants DC Patrick Graham and Rams DC Raheem Morris positioned as its other finalists, having given each second interviews along with O’Connell.

Although an O’Connell deal cannot be finalized until after Super Bowl LVI, this chain of events points to the Vikings being confident they have their next coach. This process burned the Colts four years ago, with Josh McDaniels backing out of an agreement after Super Bowl LII. But O’Connell does not have the track record of HC hesitancy the ex-Patriots OC did. O’Connell was also a finalist for the Broncos job that went to Nathaniel Hackett, conducted a second interview with the Texans and was on the Jaguars’ second-interview radar.

Harbaugh interviewed for the Vikings’ HC job Wednesday, but the seven-year Michigan coach is staying at the college level. O’Connell, 36, has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, joining Sean McVay in Los Angeles after Washington changed regimes in 2020. O’Connell served as Washington’s quarterbacks coach from 2017-18 and moved up to OC in 2019. O’Connell and new Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were also both with the 49ers in 2016.

O’Connell will be the Vikings’ first offensive-minded head coach since Brad Childress. The team moved in the defensive direction with its past two HCs — Zimmer and Leslie Frazier — but will now bring in a new play-caller. O’Connell has only been a play-caller for a three-month stretch, doing so after Washington fired Jay Gruden early in the 2019 season. Equipped with Case Keenum and a scuffling Dwayne Haskins, Washington ranked last in offense under O’Connell that year. Matthew Stafford‘s performance in his first Rams slate certainly made a better case for O’Connell this season.

The Vikings choosing O’Connell will mean Graham stays with the Giants as DC. Brian Daboll signed on for Graham to stick around were the Vikings to choose someone else as their head coach. Graham, 43, has been with the Giants for the past two seasons. Daboll and Graham previously worked together in New England. The Vikings going with O’Connell means the Rams will not have another one-and-done defensive coordinator, with Morris not connected to any other jobs. The Chargers made Brandon Staley a one-and-done with the Rams last year.

Jim Harbaugh To Stay At Michigan

February 2nd, 2022 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jim Harbaugh interviewed with the Vikings on Wednesday and was seemingly positioned to land the job if he wanted it. Instead, the Michigan head coach intends to remain in Ann Arbor, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The seven-year Wolverines coach was connected to the Raiders and Vikings’ HC jobs. He spoke with the Vikings about the gig on multiple occasions. This Minnesota connection marked the closest Harbaugh has come to jumping back to the NFL since his 49ers stay ended. The Vikings met with Harbaugh for nine hours, but Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets the team did not make an immediate offer.

Rather than more Harbaugh-to-NFL connections arising annually, the veteran coach informed Michigan president Warde Manuel he wants to stay at his alma mater as long as it wants him, Schefter adds (via Twitter). Harbaugh, 58, has been in NFL coaching rumors for years. This not happening in 2023 and beyond would be a change for the former NFC champion coach. Harbaugh is coming off his first win over Ohio State, which led to Michigan’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The decorated HC was believed to be miffed at the pay cut he accepted last year. It will be interesting to see if Michigan adjusts his contract.

Harbaugh surfaced late in the Vikings’ HC search, seemingly jumping to the front of the line in the pursuit to succeed Mike Zimmer. However, Minnesota will need to pivot to one of its other finalists. The Vikes held second meetings with Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Rams OC Kevin O’Connell and Rams DC Raheem Morris. Here is how the team’s HC search now looks:

Jim Harbaugh To Meet With Vikings, Patrick Graham Gets Second Interview

January 31st, 2022 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

We’re starting to get even more clarity on the Vikings head coaching search. According to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (on Twitter), Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will get a second interview with Minnesota. Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will visit Minnesota for an in-person interview on Wednesday.

Serving as New York’s defensive play-caller during Joe Judge‘s tenure, Graham improved the unit considerably in 2020. The Giants ranked ninth in scoring defense, after their 2019 unit ranked 30th. But the team regressed this season, falling back to 23rd. DVOA slotted Graham’s second Giants defense 18th, however.

Harbaugh had a chat with the Vikings on Saturday, and there have been reports that the Vikings wanted an in-person interview with the current Michigan coach. They’ll ultimately get their wish, and Harbaugh will take another major step in returning to the NFL. Harbaugh, 58, spent four seasons with the 49ers before leaving for Ann Arbor after the 2014 season. He has been connected to various teams in the past, but this year represents the closest link to the former NFC champion coach returning to the NFL.

Meanwhile, Pelissero notes (on Twitter) that 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has declined a second interview with the Vikings, with Ryans looking to “further his development in San Francisco.” That leaves four candidates for the job: Graham, Harbaugh, and Rams coordinators Kevin O’Connell and Raheem Morris.

Raheem Morris Gets Second Vikings Interview

January 31st, 2022 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Raheem Morris is a finalist for the Vikings head coaching gig. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (via Twitter), the Vikings conducted a second interview with the Rams defensive coordinator. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), that second interview took place this evening.

[RELATED: Vikings To Conduct Second Interviews With DeMeco Ryans, Kevin O’Connell]

Morris, 45, has an NFL coaching background dating back to 2002. He has spent time primarily as a defensive backs coach, serving in that role in Tampa Bay (on two different occasions, including the Super Bowl XXXVII-winning squad) and Washington. However, he also took over as the Bucs’ head coach after the firing of Jon Gruden in January of 2009. He had an encouraging year in 2010, posting a 10-6 record, but the one preceding and following that campaign saw the team put up a combined record of 7-25.

After a three year stint in Washington, Morris got his next prominent coaching positions in Atlanta. He served as an assistant head coach and pass game coordinator from his arrival in 2015 to 2019. Then, in 2020, he became the team’s DC until taking over as interim HC following Dan Quinn’s firing. This past offseason, Morris was hired by the Rams to take over for now-Chargers HC Brandon Staley as the team’s defensive coordinator.

49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell also got second interviews for the Vikings gig.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

January 31st, 2022 at 8:54am CST by Adam La Rose

Championship Sunday has come and gone, and with it, we now know the matchup for Super Bowl LVI. The Rams’ win on Sunday guarantees that the Lions’ other first round pick will be in the bottom two, slightly devaluing it relative to if they had lost. Still, it is one of the bargaining chips they hold if they were to attempt to move up into the top spot, from their current position of second. As one of four teams with multiple picks in the opening round, Detroit will certainly be a squad to keep an eye on in April.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-13
  4. New York Jets: 4-13
  5. New York Giants: 4-13
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-12
  7. New York Giants(via Bears)
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Denver Broncos: 7-10
  10. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  11. Washington Football Team: 7-10
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 8-9
  14. Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
  15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
  18. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
  21. New England Patriots: 10-7
  22. Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
  23. Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
  24. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  25. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
  26. Tennessee Titans: 12-5
  27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
  28. Green Bay Packers: 13-4
  29. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
  30. Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
  31. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
  32. Detroit Lions (via Rams)

* = Remaining playoff teams

Vikings To Conduct Second Interviews With DeMeco Ryans, Kevin O’Connell; Jags Also Interested In O’Connell

January 30th, 2022 at 8:10am CST by Rory Parks

49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell will be matching wits in today’s NFC Championship Game. And they are also competing against each other for the Vikings’ head coaching job.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Minnesota plans to conduct second interviews with both Ryans and O’Connell this week. Ryans, whose unit ranked third in yards allowed and tenth in points allowed in his first season as DC, is also said to be a candidate for the Raiders’ head coaching post. However, with Las Vegas seemingly zeroing in on Josh McDaniels, the Vikings’ gig may be Ryans’ only real chance to earn a promotion to HC in this year’s cycle.

O’Connell, who spent the 2019 season as Washington’s OC before joining the Rams in that capacity in 2020, oversaw an offense that finished in the top-10 in terms of both points per game and yards per game in 2021. A member of the popular Sean McVay coaching tree, O’Connell was a finalist for the Broncos’ HC job that ultimately went to Nathaniel Hackett, and he has also taken a head coaching interview with the Texans. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, the Jaguars also want to sit down with O’Connell.

There is some confusion in Duval at the moment, which is not unusual for Jags fans. Earlier this week, we heard that the club was on the cusp of hiring Bucs OC Byron Leftwich as head coach and Cardinals vice president of pro scouting Adrian Wilson as general manager. According to Rapoport, neither hire “came close to happening,” and while Leftwich remains a candidate for the job — perhaps if the Jags agree to replace embattled GM Trent Baalke with Wilson — O’Connell has emerged as a late entrant to the race. The 36-year-old is reportedly a “big fan” of Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence, and Rapoport says O’Connell could quickly become the team’s top choice.

The problem for the Jags, as Pelissero notes in a follow-up tweet, is that, if the Rams defeat the 49ers today, Jacksonville would be unable to interview O’Connell until after the Super Bowl since it did not conduct an interview during the week of the divisional round. So, if the Rams win and the Vikings decide O’Connell is their guy, the Jaguars wouldn’t even have the chance to make a pitch.

In addition to Ryans and O’Connell — both of whom were employed by the Niners during new Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s tenure there — Pelissero confirms that the Vikes still want to have an interview with Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. We heard yesterday that an interview was scheduled to take place, but Pelissero says the only thing that has happened so far is an “exploratory conversation” to gauge Harbaugh’s interest. Still, a formal interview could happen this week, and Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network classifies the relationship between Harbaugh and Adofo-Mensah — who also, of course, share significant 49ers connections — as a strong one.

Bucs To Start Post-Brady Rebuild?

January 29th, 2022 at 9:03pm CST by Ely Allen

With three-time MVP quarterback Tom Brady announcing his retirement earlier today, speculation has already started on the future of the Buccaneers’ franchise. Brady’s retirement has experts wondering about the futures of tight end Rob Gronkowki and head coach Bruce Arians. Both have flirted with retirement before. 

Contributing to the postulation on Arians’ situation is head coaching interest in the Buccaneers’ coordinators on both sides of the ball. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich recently had his second interview for the Jaguars open coaching position. Reportedly, talks have stalled as Leftwich has expressed issues with current general manager Trent Baalke continuing in that position, with Leftwich preferring Cardinals’ vice president of pro scouting Adrian Wilson to replace the polarizing GM. The Saints have requested an interview with Leftwich, who previously received interest from the Bears before they hired Matt Eberflus. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has interviewed with the Bears, Jaguars, Raiders, and Vikings. With the Bears’ job taken, Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels being the presumed frontrunner in Las Vegas, and Jacksonville having conducted multiple second interviews Bowles’ opportunities for a head coaching job are starting to dwindle, as well.

More cause for speculation has risen from an article from Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. In the article Wilson reports that Arians has informed the entire coaching staff that they have permission to seek jobs around the league regardless of whether or not the new position would be a promotion. With the potential exit of the two New England-legends and the impactful group of Buccaneers heading into free agency, this permission could potentially be an opportunity to abandon ship before the start of a Tampa Bay rebuild.

In terms of those free agents, joining free-agent-to-be Gronkowski are three other significant role players: wide receiver Chris Godwin, center Ryan Jensen, and cornerback Carlton Davis. Godwin is expected to be the top free agent priority in Tampa Bay after he received the franchise tag for this past season. Jensen came over three years ago from the Ravens on what then made him the highest paid center in the NFL. Davis was a key contributor due for a big contract year on defense before being placed on IR after Week 4 of the season and missing eight weeks during a crucial year.

The domino-effect of Brady’s retirement is already looming large over the Buccaneers’ prospects for the 2022 NFL season. Tampa Bay has the entire offseason to navigate these obstacles and mitigate the potential fallout. After winning a Super Bowl just last year, the departure of Brady could be as game-changing to the Buccaneers as his arrival was nearly two years ago.

Vikings To Interview Jim Harbaugh For HC Job

January 29th, 2022 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jim Harbaugh has only been linked to the Raiders in this year’s HC hiring cycle, but a team in Big Ten country is also pursuing the Michigan leader. The Vikings are set to interview Harbaugh, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.

This certainly injects additional intrigue into this year’s carousel and adds the biggest name to the Vikings’ search. Before Harbaugh surfaced in this search, the Vikes had already interviewed nine coaches. New GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, however, was with the 49ers during part of Harbaugh’s tenure.

Adofo-Mensah began his NFL career with the 49ers in 2013, Harbaugh’s third year with the team. While Minnesota’s current GM stayed in San Francisco long after Harbaugh’s exit, this connection is certainly interesting given Harbaugh’s stature. The Michigan HC surfaced on the Raiders’ radar earlier this month, but not much has emerged on that front in recent days. The Raiders may be moving toward giving Josh McDaniels another chance at being a head coach.

Harbaugh, 58, spent four seasons with the 49ers before leaving for Ann Arbor after the 2014 season. He has been connected to various teams in the past, but this year represents the closest link to the former NFC champion coach returning to the NFL. Harbaugh is coming off his best season with the Wolverines, who qualified for the College Football Playoff for the first time. Given his NFL past and persistent connections to the league, it would not shock if the seven-year Big Ten leader would leave his alma mater and try his hand with another NFL team.

The Vikings finished their Patrick Graham HC interview Saturday. Beyond Harbaugh, no more known interviews are scheduled. The team has satisfied its Rooney Rule requirements, meaning a hire could come at any time. Here is how Minnesota’s search looks:

Vikings To Interview Patrick Graham; Giants DC Gig Still On Table?

January 28th, 2022 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the Giants’ late-season nosedive, their defensive coordinator will meet with another team about its top coaching job. The Vikings are set to interview Patrick Graham on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (Twitter link).

Graham has also interviewed with the Giants and remains interested in sticking around as their defensive coordinator, provided someone else lands their HC job. The Giants are also expected to be open to Graham staying on as DC under a new coach, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes, adding that ownership will play a role in determining how Big Blue’s next HC proceeds here.

Serving as New York’s defensive play-caller during Joe Judge‘s tenure, Graham improved the unit considerably in 2020. The Giants ranked ninth in scoring defense, after their 2019 unit ranked 30th. But the team regressed this season, falling back to 23rd. DVOA slotted Graham’s second Giants defense 18th, however. The Graham-overseen improvement also caught the Steelers’ attention, with an interview request coming Graham’s way. Pittsburgh is expected to promote Teryl Austin to fill that role, however.

It is not the norm for prior regimes’ coordinators to stick around, and Graham has ties to both of the Giants’ top HC candidates. He was Brian Flores‘ first defensive coordinator in Miami and worked with both Flores and Brian Daboll in New England. Despite Flores letting Graham make a lateral move to New York, Graham said in December the two remain close friends. Nevertheless, ownership insisting on a partnership between the next Giants HC and Graham would be interesting.

Graham, 43, has been on the Vikings’ radar for a bit now. Minnesota’s coaching search figures to pick up steam in the coming days, with GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah now on board. Here is how that search looks:

Vikings To Hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah As GM?

January 26th, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have agreed to hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their next GM (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The two sides were hard at work on the contract early this morning, as first reported by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and they’ve now got everything in place. It’ll be a four-year deal for Adofo-Mensah worth $12MM, according to NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe (on Twitter).

Adofo-Mensah was one of two finalists in Minnesota, alongside Ryan Poles. But, after the Bears pounds on the former Chiefs’ executive director of player personnel, Adofo-Mensah was the last man standing.

Adofo-Mensah was also in the running for the Panthers job last year, but he didn’t make it to the finalist stage. Before joining Cleveland’s front office in 2020 under Andrew Berry, the Stanford grad spent seven years with the 49ers. The Bears also looked at him in this cycle before settling on Poles.

Now, he’ll take over for longtime GM Rick Spielman and lead the search for Mike Zimmer‘s replacement. The Vikings have already begun doing their homework on that front, chatting with eight candidates including ex-49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. Adofo-Mensah overlapped with Ryans for three years, so it’s possible that he’ll have a leg up on the competition.

Outside of Adofo-Mensah and Poles, the Vikings also considered:

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