Vikings owner makes big admission about future of head coach, GM

Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf has a shiny new rookie quarterback and arguably the best receiver in the NFL locked up to a long-term contract extension. He expects to make the playoffs in 2024.

So, why hasn’t he signed head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who both have just two more years on their current deals, to contract extensions?

As he says, that’s not at the top of his priority list — at least not this year.

“It's not something we're talking about at this point,” Wilf said via ESPN. “I think that's fair [to say it'll wait until 2025.] I think right now we're just focusing on the season and putting those things aside for now.”

There’s no need for Wilf to rush to sign his key decision-makers.

Both O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah wouldn’t become free agents until 2025, and Wilf hinted that he wanted to see certain things from both of them in 2024 before making any hard-and-fast decisions.

“We're going to evaluate all the factors that go into how we did and how we're doing,” Wilf added. “Everybody's evaluated the same way, on how they're performing. It's a competitive business. We have big expectations of our squad and feel very good about our direction under Kevin and Kwesi.”

The Vikings missed out on the playoffs last season. They got off to a 6-4 start, but they lost Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury after Week 8. Down the stretch, they lost six of their last seven to finish 7-10, one season after winning the NFC North.