Vikings owner Mark Wilf ‘excited’ about team, but extensions for Kevin O’Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have to wait

Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf says he’s happy with the status of a changing roster and the direction of the team in Year 3 under General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell.

But Wilf said Tuesday that the Vikings ownership group wants to wait and see how the 2024 season unfolds before beginning contract extension talks with Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell. They are believed to be on four-year contracts that expire after the 2025 season.

“We’re very excited about the direction,” Wilf told local reporters at TCO Performance Center, “about coach O’Connell and Kwesi and the leadership they’ve brought our organization and our culture. … It’s not something we’re talking about at this point on terms of that. We’re focusing on the season ahead.”

Since Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were hired in 2022 to replace former General Manager Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer, the Vikings are 20-14 with one playoff appearance. Last year, injuries to key players undercut the franchise’s third losing season in the past four years.

But the Vikings owner underlined the importance of workplace chemistry in an ultra-competitive business, and how Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell have shifted the vibes at Vikings headquarters.

“It’s a real good feeling around here,” Wilf said.

Since catching lightning in a bottle with a veteran-laden team and 13-4 record in 2022, Adofo-Mensah has overseen dramatic turnover on the depth chart.

Newly gone this offseason are quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter, ushering in even more of a youth movement for a team with this year’s youngest first-round rookie quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, who turned 21 in January. Journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold is the front-runner to start Week 1.

So, what would success look like for the Vikings this season?

“Every year, pretty much, our goals never waver: to compete and win divisions, ultimately win Super Bowl championships,” Wilf said. “We know we’re in a tough division. But I know coach O’Connell is getting everybody ready. We think our roster is in a good spot. Of course, we’ve had the issues we’ve had with the tragedy and some injury stuff. But overall, I think our roster is in a good place.”

In the NFC North, the Vikings’ opponents appear on the upswing between two highly paid quarterbacks in the Lions’ Jared Goff and Packers’ Jordan Love, as well as the Bears’ selection of No. 1 overall quarterback Caleb Williams.

“We’re up for the challenge,” Wilf said of the division. “Expectations are fine one way or another. But in the end, we’ve got to prove it on the field.”

Does this leadership have to make the playoffs this year to earn an extension?

“I’m not going to put out a litmus test here,” Wilf said.

Which quarterback will be guiding the offense remains to be seen.

Wilf was asked how patient Vikings ownership will be with Darnold ahead of McCarthy, the national-champion Michigan quarterback selected 10th overall in April’s NFL draft. O’Connell, the former NFL backup quarterback, has preached patience with McCarthy’s development. He has worked mostly with the backups since arriving in Minnesota.

“We have a lot of faith in coach O’Connell,” Wilf said. “He knows how to develop quarterbacks, and we defer a great deal to how he’s leading the quarterback room.”

“We have all the confidence hearing what we’re hearing from them, that they’re going about it the right way,” Wilf added. “But at the same time, we have to be — we want to win, but we also try to think long term about the health of the organization. Not just business-wise, but winning. And that’s what our fans want, that’s what we want. We’re trying to build for the long-term.”

O’Connell, a 39-year-old former player seeking his second contract as an NFL head coach, was asked whether his contract situation weighs on his mind.

“You do not have time, energy or anything like that to worry about things that are outside of your control,” O’Connell said. “I have a full-time gig here where I have to focus on these players, coaches, making sure we’re having ourselves the best training camp we’ve ever had here which will hopefully lead into a successful season. I’m very much focused on the task at hand.”