The Minnesota Vikings are expected to offer head coach Kevin O’Connell a contract extension, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

“Meanwhile, O’Connell is a strong contender for the NFL Coach of the Year award after another stellar season with yet another quarterback. The expectation is that the Vikings will offer O’Connell a contract extension — 2025 is the final year of his current deal — though at this point, there have been no discussions.”

O’Connell is in his third season leading the Vikings, who are 10-2 and fighting for the NFC North crown (and the conference’s top playoff seed) this year.

Minnesota went 13-4 and won the NFC North title in his first season (2022) before falling to 7-10 last year, a time when the team had to weather the storm after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles in Week 8.

The Vikings also had serious issues at the quarterback issue this year when rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a torn right meniscus during a preseason game, sidelining him for the entire 2024 campaign.

Sam Darnold, who was brought in a bridge veteran until McCarthy was ready, became even more firmly supplanted as QB1. He’s been fantastic for Minnesota, throwing for 23 touchdowns and 2,952 yards.

That’s helped the Vikings score the ninth-most points per game. Minnesota is also fifth in scoring defense and has entrenched itself as one of the most well-rounded teams in football.

O’Connell certainly deserves a share of credit, especially for guiding the offense as it underwent adversity and another transition.

And now the Vikings could very well find themselves contending for a Super Bowl. They are only a loss behind the 12-1 Detroit Lions for first in the division and conference and close the season with them on the road.

So it’s no surprise that O’Connell is in line for an extension. In the meantime, the Vikings will look to win their sixth straight game when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.