There was initially talk of Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell being a trade candidate. Broadcaster Paul Allen didn’t like it, and the Wilf family never truly entertained it. He now has a gaudy new contract extension.

O'Connell, 39, lands a contract extension after guiding Vikings to 14-3 record with Sam Darnold at quarterback.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings and coach Kevin O’Connell agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension on Tuesday, following a 14-3 regular season that defied external widespread preseason projections of at least a losing record if not a last-place finish in the NFC North.

O'Connell, 39, had recently expressed his desire to sign an extension with the Vikings. Reports had recently surfaced that the Vikings were planning to extend his contract, which was set to expire after the 2025 season. The Vikings are also expected to extend the contract of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, via NFL Media .

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings and head coach Kevin O'Connell have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension. The team announced the extension Tuesday afternoon, with owner and president Mark Wilf calling O'Connell an "innovative play caller, an excellent communicator, and strong leader."

The Vikings’ next big decision will come at the quarterback position this offseason when the team chooses between potentially re-signing Sam Darnold or giving the job to J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire season due to a knee injury after the team took him with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Vikings were never going to trade O'Connell, who led the team to a 14-3 record and within one win of the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Kevin O'Connell will not coach 2025 on a lame duck contract. The potential 2024 Coach of the Year has struck it rich with a long-term contract extension to keep him leading the Minnesota Vikings for years to come. Terms of the deal haven't been revealed just yet, but the Vikings have confirmed the agreement.

Kevin O’Connell of the Vikings is The Sporting News’ 2024 Coach of the Year, and quarterback Sam Darnold is the publication’s Comeback Player of the Year. Both awards are peer-selected. More than 800 players voted this year.

That means they are looking at which free agents can provide the most help to their team and putting together the structure of their draft board.

O’Connell was named Sporting News Coach of the Year on Thursday after leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record, the second-best mark in franchise history. O’Connell received 14 votes, dominating the field over Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions and Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs (3 votes each).