Inside The Vikings

Drew Rosenhaus: Kevin O'Connell is 'special' and will be 'one of the greats'

The high-profile agent had a lot of praise for the Vikings coach in an appearance on ESPN on Thursday.
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell walks onto the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Dec. 29, 2024.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell walks onto the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Dec. 29, 2024. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

Drew Rosenhaus recalls meeting with Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell at the NFL Combine and being blow away.

Rosenhaus, a high-profile NFL agent who represents a long list of clients, including Christian Darrisaw, Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Aaron Jones, among others, on the Vikings, had high praise for O'Connell and other members of the Vikings coaching staff during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on Thursday.

"The guy is more than a coach," Rosenhaus told McAfee of O'Connell. "In the way that (six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill) Belichick understands personnel on top of coaching and how everything comes together with signing players and getting new guys and the salary cap — O'Connell's special. He's gonna be one of the greats, guys, he's really impressive."

That's high praise for O'Connell, and an interesting comparison to Belichick, who also served as general manager during his coaching tenure with the New England Patriots and was known to have an eye for talent and a keen ability to construct a roster. While O'Connell does not serve as general manager for the Vikings, he and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have displayed a collective vision for the team that's included shedding expensive contracts for aging players while staying competitive.

That vision has worked so far as O'Connell has put together an impressive start to his head coaching career. Since being hired by the Vikings in February 2022, O'Connell has a 34-17 record in the regular season, including two 13-win seasons, and has led Minnesota to the playoffs for the second time in three years. The sky appears to be the limit for O'Connell.

And if Rosenhaus is right, it's just the beginning of O'Connell building himself into one of the greats.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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