With the recent firings of John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, the Coach of the Year award has taken on an ominous reputation, as five of the past six recipients have now been fired from their teams, the lone exception being the Minnesota Vikings' Kevin O’Connell.
Almost every Coach of the Year winner since 2018 has been fired 😬
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) January 7, 2026
2018: Matt Nagy (Fired)
2019: John Harbaugh (Fired)
2020 and 2023: Kevin Stefanski (Fired)
2021: Mike Vrabel (Fired)
2022: Brian Daboll (Fired)
2024: Kevin O'Connell #NFL pic.twitter.com/S44gVA7KrG
However, O’Connell should not be perceived as safe, as he is coming off the back of a disappointing season where his team finished 9-8 but was eliminated from playoff contention before their Week 15 matchup.
With questions at quarterback and lingering rumors that defensive coordinator Brian Flores might leave the team for a head coaching opportunity, the seat is getting warm for the 2024 Coach of the Year to get Minnesota back to contender status.
Offseason Decisions Could Define O’Connell’s Future
O’Connell’s tenure with the Vikings has been a roller coaster. He has led the team to the playoffs in two of his four seasons, posting 13-4 and 14-3 records, but both runs ended with a first-round wild-card loss.
After the 2024 season, he made the controversial decision to allow quarterback Sam Darnold to leave in free agency and hand the reins over to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus in his right knee.
When McCarthy finally took the field in 2025, the sophomore quarterback was very underwhelming, only playing in 10 games and throwing 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions while continuing to battle multiple injuries.
Meanwhile, Darnold went on to sign with the Seattle Seahawks and led the team to a 14-3 record and No. 1 seed in the NFC.
McCarthy’s mediocre play and the team's failure to compete in a tough NFC North division sparked growing frustration among the fan base, which felt that O’Connell, an offensive-minded head coach, was wasting a Super Bowl-caliber defense and arguably the best wide receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson.
Former #Vikings LB Erin Henderson says that Kevin O’Connell is “coaching to save his job.”
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 30, 2025
“What you think KOC doing right now? Bro just hanging around, good enough to keep folks off his back.” Pic.twitter.com/Rn1T7oUGOa
The Defense finished ranked third in the NFL, while Jefferson barely eclipsed 1000 receiving yards and posted a career low with just two touchdown receptions.
As the offseason approaches, fans will be watching closely to see how O’Connell addresses the quarterback situation and whether he can get the Vikings over the wild-card hump while avoiding the grim Coach of the Year curse.