Stephen A. Smith: Kevin O’Connell is lucky to have a job amid 6-0 start

Credit: First TakeThe 6-0 Minnesota Vikings are the last undefeated team in the NFL and have division wins over both the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. Still, the vibes around the franchise have been surprisingly low, in large part because, although Minnesota’s defense has been arguably the best unit in the league, its offense has struggled to find any consistency, an issue that has become further exacerbated as former third-stringer J.J. McCarthy has shone since being traded to the New York Giants.

>On Wednesday’s episode of First Take, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went as far as to say that Vikings head coach and offensive play caller Kevin O’Connell is lucky to have a job after failing to unlock the full potential of multiple quarterbacks.

>Smith started by stating that if the Indianapolis Colts make running back Jonathon Taylor available ahead of the November 10 trade deadline, the Vikings should be proactive in acquiring the former All-Pro to alleviate the burden on the quarterback position. He then addressed O’Connell’s culpability in Minnesota’s struggles.

>“I am not going to refrain from bringing up this about Kevin O’Connell. Let’s be very, very clear. Kevin O’Connell may be a big-time coach in the National Football League because he’s widely respected, a quarterback whisperer, and all of this other stuff. He’s lucky he’s got a damn job,” Smith said.

“[Kevin O’Connell’s] lucky he’s got a damn job.”

>@stephenasmith explains why the Vikings need Jonathan Taylor the most if the Colts decide to trade him https://t.co/vM2YGIribE

>— First Take (@FirstTake) October 28, 2026

“[Kwesi Adofo-Mensah], the GM, was fired after last season,” Smith continued. “What happened? Because you let Sam Darnold walk out the door and you handed the reins to J.J. McCarthy, who, in fairness to J.J. McCarthy, hadn’t even thrown an NFL pass. We saw him win a national championship in Michigan, tore his meniscus, damage his meniscus, and was out his rookie year.

>“Comes back last year, before he throws an NFL pass, you hand him the reins. You cost Justin Jefferson and those boys a year of their career, just what you did. Okay, so the GM took the heat, but damn it, I’m looking at the head coach too. You know what, you had Sam Darnold there, you had J.J. McCarthy there, you know, now you got Kyler Murray there, and we’re still saying quarterback, quarterback, quarterback is the issue.”

>Smith went on to question where Minnesota’s “Boy Wonder” head coach was.

>“Where’s the guy that’s supposed to elevate your level of play from the quarterback spot?” he asked. “Even though we’re sitting here and talking about Jonathan Taylor potentially being a Minnesota Viking, and that’s what they should do, the reason we’re talking about that is because they haven’t secured the quarterback position. He has something to do with that. He isn’t Innocent Abe in all of this.”

>As impressive as Minnesota’s record is, Smith is right that the offense has failed to live up to expectations for back-to-back seasons now, and in those two years Vikings fans have watched one former quarterback (Darnold) win a Super Bowl, and another (McCarthy) throw for 243 yards and a touchdown in one quarter of action in his season debut.

>The Vikings appear poised for regression as they enter the toughest part of their schedule, and if O’Connell can’t get his side of the ball up to speed, the scrutiny and questions around him and his job security will only increase.

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