Daniel Jones didn’t hand Kevin O’Connell a rose when he picked the Minnesota Vikings, even though he had given O’Connell the thorns as a rookie head coach.
O’Connell admitted he has “been a fan” of Jones when the New York Giants released their $160 million man in late November. Still, he played a little coy. We didn’t know if O’Connell like liked Jones until the Vikings signed the quarterback who eliminated them in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
“He had a lot of interest, and rightly so,” O’Connell said after signing Jones. “Daniel chose to come here. Had some great dialogue with him over the past couple of days and was really, really excited when he called me and told me he was coming.”
Before Jones signed on the dotted line, O’Connell told his other quarterbacks that it was an open relationship. He spoke with Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, Brett Rypien, and J.J. McCarthy about the move. O’Connell wanted to clarify why the Vikings signed Jones and what he thought about his quarterbacks.
“I think that’s important,” O’Connell said. “I wouldn’t be who I kind of claim to be and be authentically me if I didn’t have a clear, open, and honest communication with those guys, which, in a lot of ways, I hope they weren’t surprised to hear my confidence level in them.”
The Vikings have always had a complicated relationship with the quarterback position. They haven’t had stability at the position since Fran Tarkenton retired in 1978. Kirk Cousins was an All-Star who put up big numbers but only won one playoff game. Daunte Culpepper had knee issues before he turned 30. Brett Favre was a fling.
Minnesota emphasized defense when they hired Mike Zimmer but doubled down on quarterback coaching with O’Connell. After setting school records at San Diego State, the New England Patriots took O’Connell in the third round of the 2008 draft. He bounced around the league until 2012, then became a private quarterbacks coach for two years.
In 2015, the Cleveland Browns hired O’Connell as their quarterbacks coach. He coached quarterbacks until the Washington Commanders elevated him to offensive coordinator in 2019. O’Connell has developed a reputation as an expert play designer who has earned Justin Jefferson’s trust. Still, deep down, he loves developing quarterbacks.
“The player development side…is a huge passion of mine,” O’Connell said after the Vikings signed Jones. “I just love getting opportunities to work with guys, no matter what point in their quarterback journey.”
It’s funny how many quarterbacks the Vikings had last year, considering Sam Darnold started all 17 games and had a Pro Bowl season. Still, Darnold was on a one-year deal, and McCarthy missed the season after tearing his meniscus in the preseason. Signing Jones may have been a hedge against Darnold leaving in free agency and McCarthy needing time to develop after recovering from injury.
Darnold had no resentment toward Jones. The New York Giants took Jones a year after the New York Jets drafted Darnold, and they’ve known each other for years. Darnold and Jones knew the perils of playing for incompetent franchises in America’s largest market. They had even competed against each other in cornhole.
“Just excited to get him in here and be teammates with him,” Darnold said in reaction to the Jones signing. “He’s played a lot of football, so just to be able to draw from his experience on certain things.”
Cousins had provided stability at quarterback before last season. However, the Vikings rotated through Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall after Cousins tore his Achilles. As fun as the Passtronaut saga was, Minnesota discovered its wise to be deep at the NFL’s most important position.
Even if McCarthy turns out to be Minnesota’s franchise quarterback, O’Connell will likely keep a few extra quarterbacks around. He’s committed to building the Vikings into a contender but also loves quarterback development.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likely will ask O’Connell to avert his eyes when Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Jaxson Dart go through the combine this weekend. However, he may allow him to glance at some Day 3 sleepers like Kyle McCord, Kurtis Rourke, or Tyler Shough. O’Connell probably can’t help but imagine what they’d become under his tutelage.
