Kevin O’Connell won the NFL’s Coach Of the Year award on Thursday. The win was unsurprising, as O’Connell and the Vikings exceeded preseason expectations by going 14-3.
The preseason projections were low because the Vikings had to replace Kirk Cousins and start either rookie J.J. McCarthy or Sam Darnold.
Although McCarthy missed the season with a meniscus tear, Darnold had the best season of his professional career. He threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl. However, he was only signed for one season, leading to questions about whether he will return to Minnesota or sign elsewhere.
After winning the Coach Of the Year award, O’Connell clarified earlier comments that speculated about Darnold’s future. The Vikings coach spoke with the local media and gave the following statement:
Look, you guys know how I feel about Sam. He is a guy that we identified last year as somebody who could come in and be successful. And really, no matter where he was at before he arrived in his quarterback journey, it was about maximizing our time together. And I think we did that and I think it was a very special year for Sam. And what that earned him is, everybody in our league now thinks he’s a bona fide legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games. He won 14 of them. So he’s earned the right to be a free agent, but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation as well as being really excited about J.J. McCarthy and where he’s at in his rehab. He’s really hit the ground running as the true offseason has begun.
I’ve talked about it all season long, about the depth of that quarterback room this year. But now, we’ve got to see what that room is going to look like as we try to put together the best possible team for 2025. That’s really what the answer should have been, and probably it was closer to that, but that doesn’t take away from my feelings for Sam Darnold or what I believe he accomplished this year and how proud I was to be right alongside with him.