Last week, the NFL and New Era released their collection of hats for training camp. As in most years, the hats feature a subtle white-and-black look. However, in recent years, the logo on the front has gotten smaller. Fans looking to show their pride in their team may be disappointed by this trend, but one person who may not be is Kevin O’Connell‘s good friend, Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan has been known for rocking a flat-brimmed hat with a tiny logo for years. But nobody laughs at him (outside of when he blew a certain lead in the Super Bowl) because he has built a perennial contender in the NFC. A pair of six-win seasons aside, Shanahan has the reputation of being one of the best coaches in the NFL, and it’s something that should have O’Connell taking notice.
Entering his fifth season with the Minnesota Vikings without a playoff win, many feel like O’Connell’s seat is warm going into the 2026 season. But a deeper look shows he may be entering his Kyle Shanahan era.
It’s understandable if some Vikings fans have reservations about anything to do with the 49ers. Former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah began his front office career in San Francisco (technically Santa Clara), and Shanahan’s cold personality is the polar opposite of someone like O’Connell, who goes viral for his postgame speech every time the Vikings win a game.
But aside from the disdain over an NFC rival, the 49ers have built the type of franchise that the Vikings should aim to be.
The 49ers have an 82-67 record since Shanahan became head coach in 2017. They’ve also been where no Vikings team has been for almost 50 years, bringing San Francisco to the Super Bowl in 2019 and 2023. If Jimmy Garoppolo hits a wide-open Emmanuel Sanders or Shanahan understands overtime rules, the 49ers might even have a Lombardi Trophy during his tenure.
That tenure has also had its share of speed bumps. In addition to a pair of six-win seasons, the 49ers have fallen but gotten back up. They whiffed on Trey Lance during the 2021 draft but were able to hang in there long enough to unearth Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 draft. The 49ers have also been clowned in their resistance to the consensus board on draft day. Still, they’ve found a way to make it work and be, in the words of the Wilfs, “super competitive” most years.
But the key thing is how Shanahan has gained control without assuming a straight general manager role. While Lynch has a presence, Shanahan has a significant say on the roster and doesn’t have to deal with a lot of the things a traditional general manager has to deal with.
Going back to the beginning of the offseason, this was a potential outcome of the GM search. Kevin O’Connell clearly has gained the trust of the Wilfs after Adofo-Mensah’s firing, and the search has been more about looking for “a leader” than shaking up the building. That means Rob Brzezinski will be promoted to either general manager or president of football operations. However, it also means O’Connell can still shop for his personnel, as Shanahan is doing in San Francisco.
When the Wilfs talk about “collaboration,” San Francisco is a key example, and it’s something that has played out during the offseason.
The Vikings began in a situation where they could have gone “all gas, no brakes,” to chase the 14-win season they had in 2024. But this offseason looked like one where the team was thinking deep into the future. Free agency didn’t deliver a big name until Jauan Jennings signed earlier this month, and the draft was more about projections than it was about filling immediate needs.
That doesn’t mean that Caleb Banks and Jake Golday have to wait until 2027 to contribute. But it likely means that O’Connell can focus on coaching and building his roster without worrying whether the Wilfs are waiting in the locker room with a pink slip.
It also highlights the positives O’Connell brings to the table. While Shanahan is considered one of the best play-callers, O’Connell isn’t far behind. O’Connell’s 2025 season shows he isn’t perfect. Still, he was able to find a way to grab the attention of his locker room and win the final five games during a stretch of adversity.
Minnesota’s approach to hiring a quarterback also highlights O’Connell’s influence in the organization. The Vikings are willing to let the current battle of J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray play out. But if neither quarterback seizes the long-term role, it also gives O’Connell the freedom to try again in 2027, either by picking from a ripe quarterback class in the draft or making an all-in trade to get a potentially disgruntled Joe Burrow.
It may not result in Kevin O’Connell running onto the practice field featuring a hat with a logo that requires a space telescope to see properly. It also may not mean running a 5K at every practice and blaming injuries on weird vibrations emanating from MSP airport. But it could be what the Vikings are shooting for as they look for a new general manager, and it could give O’Connell the same type of power that Shanahan has in San Francisco.
