Souhan: Time for Vikings to lock up their future

After eight consecutive victories, including their dramatic win in Seattle on Sunday, it’s imperative for Vikings ownership to lock up their tall, talented, former journeyman quarterback.

Sam Darnold? The Wilfs can wait a month or more to make a decision on him.

Kevin O’Connell? The Wilfs may want to move fast.

O’Connell has produced two 13-win seasons in his first three years as Vikings coach. He has positioned the 2024 Vikings to compete for the championship of the best division in the NFL, and the No. 1 seed, with a quarterback (Darnold) who is with his fourth team and had never experienced more than a month of success before.

O’Connell’s contract is up after the 2025 season, and the Wilfs can’t afford to let him catch the scent of free-agency, because he may be able to name his price on the open market.

It’s possible that rookie J.J. McCarthy could perform about as well as Darnold as the Vikings’ starting quarterback, although Darnold is busy making that sentence look presumptuous.

Losing O’Connell would be far more worrisome, because every bit of the Vikings’ success is tied to his decisions and persona.

He coached Kirk Cousins to his winningest season, and had him playing exceptionally well in 2023 even without star receiver Justin Jefferson before Cousins was himself injured.

He has Darnold playing better than he has previously as a pro. He has kept Jefferson happy and productive regardless of the myriad defenses thrown at him.

He had the guts to hire Brian Flores as his defensive coordinator, knowing that if O’Connell had two bad seasons in a row, Flores might be his replacement.

O’Connell is part of a management team that has landed the Vikings in the top two in the NFLPA player satisfaction rankings, and this year’s team has displayed an ideal blend of cohesion and ambition.

O’Connell should be the leading candidate for NFL coach of the year, and he is thriving at a time when failing franchises are desperate for leadership and offensive expertise, especially if they have a struggling young quarterback.

The Wilfs declined to offer O’Connell an extension after his 7-10 finish last year.

That decision was understandable. It could also prove to be costly.

O’Connell should be one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches. All of the goodwill and respect the Wilfs have accumulated in recent years would dissipate if they let O’Connell walk, no matter how much money he was asking for.

Because we all know just how rich the Wilfs and the NFL are.

As for Darnold, two different cases can be made:

At this point, Darnold, even after this spectacular run of play, has more to prove. Vikings history will not be altered by a No. 1 seed or a gaudy regular-season record. The playoffs will demand more of Darnold, and judgment can wait until we see how he handles that unique form of pressure.

The same could be said of O’Connell, but his ability to win games with Cousins, Jaren Hall, Josh Dobbs and Darnold makes him a stronger, safer bet than his latest student.

What the Wilfs want to avoid is getting to their 2025 training camp and having O’Connell’s pending free agency become a story.

O’Connell inherited a declining team, then won 13 games. He went 7-10 in 2023 because of injuries. This year, he has boosted his career record to 33-16, a .673 winning percentage. The second-best winning percentage in franchise history is Bud Grant’s .621 — and Bud got to beat up on the Lions when they were a joke.

My recommendation: Get O’Connell’s deal done as quickly as possible after the season ends … then let O’Connell decide who he wants his 2025 starting quarterback to be.

He’s earned that kind of trust.