Vikings Officially Announce New Head Coach

The Minnesota Vikings have officially hired Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as their 10th head coach in franchise history, the team announced in a news release on its official website Wednesday (February 16).

"We are ecstatic to add Kevin as our head coach," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. "He is a strong leader, an innovative coach and an excellent communicator. Kevin played the game at all levels, which gives him a unique connection to players, and he is highly respected throughout the league. Vikings fans should be excited for the future of this team under Kevin's direction."

The announcement comes weeks after the Vikings were initially reported to have agreed to a deal with O'Connell, but prohibited from officially announcing the hire when it was initially reported earlier this month as O'Connell was still set to fulfill his duties in Super Bowl LVI, which concluded with a 23-20 victory for the Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (February 13).

O'Connell, 36, was among four finalists for the Vikings' head coaching position along with University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh -- who had previously worked as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers (2011-14) -- Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris -- who had previously worked as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach (2009-11) -- and then-New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who has since been hired by the Las Vegas Raiders for their defensive coordinator position.