Why KOC's seat should be hot this year

He's 43-27 including playoffs and out from under a bad g.m. and the owners love him. I'm not his biggest fan but none of that adds up to a red hot seat. That said, it's possible that he needs a playoff win to stay employed.

The Wilfs do love KOC...

That said, I think Mark Wilf is (slowly) moving away from competitive to we need to win now...Not sure that translates directly to "in the hot seat?" but the room temp is definitely going up.

And it should going into yr5.

I'm expecting a great season from K1 and the team!

Unless the football gods smite them down.

To be fair, he wasn't outcoached by Daboll, that was all on _onatell.

Can't argue with #3. I think that is his biggest issue.

I'm not a KOC hater, a doubter maybe, but I'm going to stay as optimistic as possible for as long as possible this season. Hopefully, KOC leads us through a good season and proves he has learned from his mistakes along the way. But if this season turns out to be a train wreck here are possible replacements.

https://vikesnow.com/opinion/2026/vikings-head-coach-options-after-2026/

Mike Tomlin

This man defensively coordinated the Vikings before taking the big job in Pittsburgh 20 years ago. It was his springboard assignment before hitting it big. Minnesota’s current ownership group knows Tomlin – – intimately.

He stepped down after 19 seasons in Pittsburgh without ever posting a losing record, won a Super Bowl, and reached the playoffs 13 times. His resume would instantly command a veteran locker room and satisfy an ownership group seeking stability.

The catch is availability: Tomlin has indicated he does not plan to return to coaching anytime soon. But if a year away changes that, Minnesota would offer a talented roster and a quarterback situation worth inheriting if Kyler Murray sticks around.

The Vikings’ emphasis on winning, no matter what, jibes with Tomlin’s steady history. If you need at least 9-8 – – the Viking way — Tomlin will get you there.

Brian Flores

Perhaps the frontrunner if O’Connell is not back in 2027, Flores may be a guy the franchise cannot let leave. Since arriving in Minnesota, his defense ranks second leaguewide per EPA/Play. Despite employing an offense-first head coach in O’Connell, the Vikings’ current brand of football is defense – – thanks to Flores.

His defenses have become the team’s identity, and the Vikings extended him after three seasons in which they ranked among the NFL’s best in points allowed and takeaways. Flores also has prior head coaching experience at Miami, so this wouldn’t be an experiment with new job demands.

The question is whether Minnesota wants to pivot from an offense-minded head coach to a defensive one. If O’Connell exits after a disappointing year, continuity with Flores could keep the overall roster structure intact.

It’s also worth noting that very few fans, if any, would complain about Flores in the big chair. He’s that beloved.

Grant Udinski

Here, the Vikings would swap quarterback whisperers. Udinski would be the upside play of all four Plan Bs.

The former Vikings assistant is 30, and Jacksonville’s offense exploded in his first season as offensive coordinator, setting franchise records for points, touchdowns, and first downs while Trevor Lawrence produced a career year.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence talks with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski during practice. Mandatory Credit: YouTube

Udinski already interviewed for head coaching jobs with Cleveland and Buffalo this offseason, so the league views him as more than a future HC candidate. Minnesota also knows him from his time working under O’Connell, which reduces some uncertainty about fit and philosophy.

Lawrence said of Udinski earlier this year, “He’s a huge piece to this puzzle.”

Udinski’s boss, head coach Liam Coen, added, “There’s no doubt in my mind those guys will be head coaches. To get them back for the continuity and communication, for our guys and for our staff to our players, was big.”

Suppose the Vikings want to stay offense-first and preserve elements of their existing system. Udinski makes sense. He’s an up-and-comer.

NorseFeathers wrote:

I'm not a KOC hater, a doubter maybe, but I'm going to stay as optimistic as possible for as long as possible this season. Hopefully, KOC leads us through a good season and proves he has learned from his mistakes along the way. But if this season turns out to be a train wreck here are possible replacements.

https://vikesnow.com/opinion/2026/vikings-head-coach-options-after-2026/
Mike TomlinThis man defensively coordinated the Vikings before taking the big job in Pittsburgh 20 years ago. It was his springboard assignment before hitting it big. Minnesota’s current ownership group knows Tomlin – – intimately.
He stepped down after 19 seasons in Pittsburgh without ever posting a losing record, won a Super Bowl, and reached the playoffs 13 times. His resume would instantly command a veteran locker room and satisfy an ownership group seeking stability.
The catch is availability: Tomlin has indicated he does not plan to return to coaching anytime soon. But if a year away changes that, Minnesota would offer a talented roster and a quarterback situation worth inheriting if Kyler Murray sticks around.
The Vikings’ emphasis on winning, no matter what, jibes with Tomlin’s steady history. If you need at least 9-8 – – the Viking way — Tomlin will get you there.
Brian FloresPerhaps the frontrunner if O’Connell is not back in 2027, Flores may be a guy the franchise cannot let leave. Since arriving in Minnesota, his defense ranks second leaguewide per EPA/Play. Despite employing an offense-first head coach in O’Connell, the Vikings’ current brand of football is defense – – thanks to Flores.
His defenses have become the team’s identity, and the Vikings extended him after three seasons in which they ranked among the NFL’s best in points allowed and takeaways. Flores also has prior head coaching experience at Miami, so this wouldn’t be an experiment with new job demands.
The question is whether Minnesota wants to pivot from an offense-minded head coach to a defensive one. If O’Connell exits after a disappointing year, continuity with Flores could keep the overall roster structure intact.
It’s also worth noting that very few fans, if any, would complain about Flores in the big chair. He’s that beloved.
Grant UdinskiHere, the Vikings would swap quarterback whisperers. Udinski would be the upside play of all four Plan Bs.
The former Vikings assistant is 30, and Jacksonville’s offense exploded in his first season as offensive coordinator, setting franchise records for points, touchdowns, and first downs while Trevor Lawrence produced a career year.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence talks with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski during practice. Mandatory Credit: YouTube
Udinski already interviewed for head coaching jobs with Cleveland and Buffalo this offseason, so the league views him as more than a future HC candidate. Minnesota also knows him from his time working under O’Connell, which reduces some uncertainty about fit and philosophy.
Lawrence said of Udinski earlier this year, “He’s a huge piece to this puzzle.”
Udinski’s boss, head coach Liam Coen, added, “There’s no doubt in my mind those guys will be head coaches. To get them back for the continuity and communication, for our guys and for our staff to our players, was big.”
Suppose the Vikings want to stay offense-first and preserve elements of their existing system. Udinski makes sense. He’s an up-and-comer.

No to Tomlin... just no.

JimmyinSD wrote:

No to Tomlin... just no.

Agreed. If you open the article, it included Belichick as well. That's so far fetched, I deleted it out.

Agree, no to Tomlin. There was a time I was angry being stuck with Childress instead of Mike, but that time has passed

Udinski is awfully young for HC imo, still frustrating he's not our OC right now.

BFlo I would absolutely consider a top 3 contender. I think he's grown lots since Miami as a leader

• But I think I'd want an offense oriented guy

Vikesrock wrote:

I debated whether to post this, but I figured I would get it off my chest and move on, but I believe that KOC's seat should be red hot this year and here is why. It's year 5 and he hasn't won a playoff game. I honestly don't care if the team goes 17-0. By looking at the "How old are you" data on the board, at 52, I am one of the young ones. We don't have much longer to wait for a Super Bowl. If you can't win a playoff game you can't win a Super Bowl.In the 2 playoff game losses, KOC has been severely out coached. By Brian Daboll and by his mentor, Sean McVay. I would also add that in 2024, he was severely outcoached in a playoff type game by Dan Campbell. I wanted to blame Sammy and the OL for the Lions and Rams losses that season, but the further away we get from it and the more evidence we have, I believe better then 50% of it was O'Connell and his lack of adaptability.I believe #2 is related to this, his either inability or unwillingness to adapt to the players on his roster. The chuck and duck scheme is what he wants to run and complains that he has to "simplify the offense" whenever he has to modify it.For being a kick ass offensive mind, he has averaged 19th in total offense, 14th in scoring, and never higher then 14th in EPA or DVA. This shows average at best. Oh sure, you can talk about how he hasn't had this or that, but no more excuses. It's time, if he can't build a top 10 offense with this roster, this year, I have serious doubts about his capability.If not for Brian Flores, this team wins 4 games last year and KOC is hold Kwesi's bag at the airport. I also believe 2024 may be a 9 win season without Brian Flores. So essentially Flores is the better coach. KOC gets credit for bringing him here, but does Flores get most of the credit for the 14 win team and the non-total disaster of 2025?And here is the big one. The entire JJ McCarthy saga to this point. You will never convince me that KOC did not have a heavy hand in the drafting of McCarthy. If, after 10 games and 3 seasons, it is clear McCarthy doesn't have it, then what the hell happened? How did we go from the next franchise QB to this? Beyond this, the entire handling of the situation this year has been a borderline joke. Anyone who thought there was an actual QB competition, well I have some ocean front property here in Montana to sell you. If he wanted JJ to sit another year, then say that. Quit with the bullshit. I can say it looks like McCarthy has seriously regressed since being under KOC's tutelage. And frankly, at this point, I don't want him within 200 miles of the next young QB prospect for the Vikings. I know, JJ was hurt and this and that...excuse time is over. If McCarthy is gone before the start of the 2027 season this is a failure on GM, Coach and Ownership. The GM has paid his dues on it, it's time for the coach to pay his....unlessAll of this is null and void if KOC can win a couple of playoff games this year. Short of that, he should be in the bread line prior to 2027. I don't care how many regular season games they win. My assumption would be no playoff games and the Vikings would be right back in to the "Who the hell is our QB gonna be" scenario going in to 2027.Finally, I want to say this, coming out of 2024 I was super high on O'Connell. I felt like we finally had our dude to bring us to the promised land. Get us a franchise QB in the building and start the next era of Viking Championship football. Instead we have once again been fed a giant shit sandwich and it's continued on to this season. I feel like it all began in Detroit in 2024 and has cratered downhill to where we are now. Anyways I am sure plenty will disagree and some will think I am stupid and don't know football. I am not saying I am some great genius, but I have some background in the game playing, coaching, and like all of you, observing. We all look at it through our glasses, and those of us on this board are colored purple. I just want one before I die.....

NFL Radio was talking about this very thing this morning. First time ever I've heard anyone in the national media questioning OConnells "whispering" abilities and that he really needs to win this year or might be out of a job next offseason. Ryan Leaf and Soloman Wilcots questioning if he might just be a better coordinator than a head coach., and I think thats fair speculation at this point. The Wilfs like a lot of people they hire (ala Kwesi), but that doesn't mean they won't shitcan them at any given time. As mentioned, I think the Wilfs are starting to feel some real pressure themselves. Towards the bottom of the league in total playoff victories since they took over. This team needs to win this year.

Fair assessment and good post. I like KO but at some point we need to see the bacon.

This kind of ties into your point about the McCarthy mess but I kind of hate everything that’s happened at the QB position since KO came on board. We stuck with Kirk long after it was apparent IMO he wasn’t winning us a Super Bowl. Hiring Kirk’s golfing buddies to be his backup instead of actual competition. Hesitated in extending Darnold during the season and then ultimately he wasn’t brought back. McCarthy looks worse every time he plays. Brosmer is a punchline and still on the team. Continued the franchise pattern of signing reclamation projects at QB and hoping it works for a short term fix.

Idk if these are all KO decisions or not but the buck stops somewhere and we’re either the same or worse off at QB than we were the day KO was hired. The roster might be a little better I suppose.

I definitely don’t wanna see O’Connell fired but if he needs to get whacked for the competitive rebuild idea to die, now you have my attention.

Good stuff, @Vikesrock 

Definitely need to see at least 1 playoff win, and at least look like we belong on the field in the divisional round. Anything less and he should be gonzo.

Bring back Udinski, retain BFlo and show Matt Daniels the freaking door. Depending on impact, I’d try to retain Frank Smith.

Wilf said his patience isn't infinite. Teasley will be the one that drives the bus for awhile. When the organization decides to switch from a cap strapped veteran QB model to drafting a franchise QB and building around him model, it takes time and a lot of changes. When they miss on that QB, it's tough to overcome.

Most were excited to get JJ in the draft, after all, it was the perfect set up for any QB to come to, and all the Vikings needed was average QB play. Maybe even a game manager would make the team competitive. The little bit of play he had before the meniscus injury looked promising. Then comes last year. Still a lot of optomism preseason. The offensive line was crap and JJ didn't stand a chance. His play was inconsistent, and mostly bad.

KOC has some responsibility when it comes to the selection and development of JJ. But Kwesi took the hit for that.

It's possible JJ just doesn't have what it takes, and it would be hard to blame KOC for that.

Now if this season goes to hell, I can see Teasley wanting to start over.

I think KOC is a high quality head coach. I think he's an inexperienced offensive coordinator and QB Coach. I think he's a great leader of men. His teams always play hard. His offenses have been one dimensional despite being highly talented. I think they're too complicated for young QBs, although I don't really understand why that would be, but I've seen enough QBs struggle under it.

I'm not absolutist about a playoff win, but I need to see some progress on running the ball, becoming more multiple in his passing game concepts, and tailoring his scheme to his QB.

If were a top 5 offense the second half of the season and its clicking, but we lose against the Rams, I'd be willing to run it back.

KO needs to be shown the door if the team doesn't win a playoff game. Hopefully, Teasley has started putting together a list of possible HC candidates.