Zulgad's Vikings observations: What to make of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's contract situations
Will the coach and general manager be allowed to enter the 2025 season as lame ducks? Here's why that's unlikely to happen.
Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason decision to let Kirk Cousins sign with the Atlanta Falcons and then select J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the draft, led to speculation from this corner that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell might receive contract extensions before the regular season opened.
The thinking went like this:
The pair will be entering the third year of four-year contracts, but are just now embarking on a makeover at the quarterback position. The short-term solution appears to be veteran free agent Sam Darnold, with O’Connell serving as the mentor and protector for the 21-year-old McCarthy.
The now might have to be Darnold, but the future is all about McCarthy.
This would seem to add up to ownership having expectations for 2025, when Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell would be in the final year of their deals. Extensions now could provide some breathing room and serve as an acknowledgement that the transition to McCarthy will take patience and time.
But Vikings owner and team president Mark Wilf said Tuesday that extensions for the GM and coach aren’t “something we’re talking about at this point.”
Wilf said the focus is on the upcoming season and indicated the topic of extensions would come next offseason. So should Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell be concerned?
Probably not.
Unless things go off the rails, O’Connell figures to get an extension next summer.
Mike Zimmer, who was fired as Vikings’ coach after the 2021 season, was set to enter the last year of his contract in 2020. He was given a three-year extension just before training camp in July of that year, meaning ownership ended up paying him two years for not working. (This isn’t new, considering the Vikings gave Brad Childress a contract extension through the 2013 season in November 2009. Childress was fired the following season.)
Shortly after Zimmer signed, former general manager Rick Spielman agreed to a matching three-year extension that also ran through 2023. If owners Zygi and Mark Wilf stick to how they handled Spielman and Zimmer, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell are unlikely to end up working in the last year of their contracts in 2025.
Given the fact the Vikings should have significant salary cap space to pursue free agents next March, it wouldn’t be surprising if Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell get extended shortly after the 2024 season. Otherwise, some big-name free agent targets could decide to pass on signing with a team that could have a lame duck GM and coach.
Some other notes from a busy Tuesday:
Darnold provided the highlight of the day, completing a beautiful 56-yard pass to Jordan Addison after the skilled wide receiver had beaten the cornerback and safety in an 11-on-11 drill. Darnold continues to hit on deep balls with his receivers and has now connected with Addison on at least a couple of throws that found him deep downfield and in stride.
Justin Jefferson is so good that he overshadows the other Vikings receivers, but Addison is a special player and would be the top wide receiver on many teams. If he can avoid issues away from the field, Addison’s second contract is going to be a big one.
Jefferson and left tackle Christian Darrisaw weren’t on the practice field. The Vikings said Jefferson was tending to a personal matter and that Darrisaw was in the training room. Both are expected to be full participants in Wednesday’s practice, according to the team. It should be noted that Darrisaw was replaced by backup David Quessenberry as the first-team left tackle in Saturday’s practice. Jefferson, who missed seven games in 2023 because of a hamstring injury, has now missed two practices after being given a day off last week.
Darnold led the first-team offense against the first-team defense in an end-of-game situation that started with 1:05 left, his team down by one point, one timeout remaining and the ball at the 35-yard line of the offense. Darnold, who seems to be gaining a command of the offense, completed 4-of-5 passes before handing off to Ty Chandler and running the clock down to 4 seconds. Rookie kicker Will Reichard hit a 42-yard field goal to give the offense the win.
McCarthy got the same opportunity and started strong with three completions. He used his timeout but the ensuing run play was stuffed. McCarthy then took the clock down to 4 seconds before Reichard made a 52-yarder.
Reichard is 14-of-16 on field-goal attempts in camp and he has made plenty of long kicks look easy.
The Vikings’ first depth chart was issued for Saturday’s preseason game against the Raiders. No surprise that Darnold is the No. 1 quarterback. The No. 2 quarterback is … McCarthy or Nick Mullens. O’Connell declined to say who might play in the game because he has yet to tell the players.
Safety Lewis Cine, the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2022, returned to the field after missing just over a week because of a lower leg injury. Cine was doing work on the side and is well down the depth chart.
Seeing T.J. Hockenson work on the side as he rehabs from a torn ACL and MCL suffered in Week 16 last season, you have to wonder how much time he will miss? The Vikings will be cautious with him, but none of their healthy tight ends can replace him as a pass catcher and Hockenson looks as if he’s making good progress.