Kevin O’Connell Was 'Overruled' on Vikings' QB Decision, Insider Says

The world is still searching for the right person to blame for the Vikings' fumbling of the quarterback situation last year. Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones left as free agents, and they allegedly passed on Aaron Rodgers in favor of J.J. McCarthy.

Was it former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's fault? Is head coach Kevin O'Connell to blame? Both of them? The Wilfs? While it remains a bit of a mystery, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said something Wednesday that, if true, might help a jury find O'Connell not guilty of the quarterback crimes.

"As I understand it, O'Connell got overruled. He wanted to have Darnold or Jones or Aaron Rodgers, and he got overruled." Florio said. "They said no to Rodgers. Rodgers wanted to play for them last year, and they said no. They're sticking with JJ McCarthy. And Jones is really the one that I think gulled O'Connell the most, because I think they thought they had something special with Jones."

Hey, the way I heard it, there was a chance Darnold was going to get benched during the playoffs last year for Daniel Jones," Florio continued. "They put him on the active roster late in the regular season for a reason. They really wanted to keep Daniel Jones."

Even Adofo-Mensah, before he was fired on Jan. 30, lamented the handling of Jones, who reportedly had an offer on the table from Minnesota before he bolted for the Colts, where he allegedly felt he had a better chance to win the starting quarterback job due to the Vikings' strong belief in McCarthy.

Never has O'Connell said he was overruled or that he didn't fully believe in McCarthy ahead of last season. If it's true that he was overruled, he toed the company line and didn't throw Adofo-Mensah or anyone else under the bus. Instead, NFL insiders are doing the talking.

"They fired the GM because he had Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and an interested Aaron Rodgers in the building, and he said, no, we're good with J.J. (McCarthy), and Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz are gonna be his backups. They're not going to make the same mistake twice," ESPN's Peter Schrager said after Adofo-Mensah was fired.

Dianna Russini, who pounded the drum about Rodgers signing with Minnesota last offseason harder than anyone, recently said on her podcast that she knows O'Connell didn't have the final say on roster decisions.

And this isn't the first time Florio has suggested O'Connell didn't get his wish a year ago.

"I believe that last year, Kevin O'Connell was banging hard on the table to have an accomplished veteran to go along with J.J. McCarthy. Recognizing that McCarthy wasn't ready to go out there and be the guy, and that they needed someone else. Whether it was Sam Darnold, whether it was Daniel Jones, whether it was Aaron Rodgers," Florio said in February.

So who should be blamed? You can play armchair general manager with that decision until you're blue in the face. The only thing that matters is that Kyler Murray succeeds and O'Connell reestablishes himself as the NFL's best quarterback whisperer.