Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Since taking over as Minnesota Vikings head coach back in 2022, Kevin O’Connell has been a rather rousing success of a hire for owners Mark and Zygi Wilf… especially before JJ McCarthy played his first game in purple last season.
In fact, KOC went into the 2025 NFL scouting combine as the league’s hottest head coach, fresh off a 14-3 season where he resurrected the lifeless QB remains of Sam Darnold that earned him a massive new contract and his first NFL Coach of the Year trophy.
Just like he did each of his first three combine podium appearances as Vikings head coach, an affable Kevin O’Connell took to the microphone in Indianapolis this time last year and casually answered a bevy of questions from reporters far and wide.
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Of course, his impressive public appearance last February was no surprise. Unlike his predecessor Mike Zimmer, there’s never really been a moment during his head coaching tenure where Kevin O’Connell could be accused of avoiding or even (god forbid) being short during his media sessions.
That is until the 2026 NFL scouting combine, apparently…
Minnesota Vikings without representation at NFL combine podium
This weekend, pretty much everyone who is anyone in the football world will ascend on Indianapolis for the start of another combine. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, 27 of 32 NFL teams will make their general manager and/or head coach available to take questions from the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Most of the interviews will be broadcast live on NFL Network and all of them will be streamed/recorded for unfiltered public consumption. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings will not be one of them.
That’s right… for the first time in FIVE scouting combines as Vikings head coach, Kevin O’Connell is not making himself available for a standard podium interview, unlike most of his colleagues.
Related: MN Vikings in Danger of Playing Outside USA Again?
(H/T to our friends at The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) for first identifying what appears to be the Vikings deliberately avoiding as much of the public eye as possible next week.
The other teams that are not scheduled to hold podium interviews at the combine next week are the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints.
It’s worth noting, however, that Rams head coach Sean McVay hasn’t attended the since 2020. So really, the Minnesota Vikings are one of only four teams whose head coach and acting GM are both at the combine, but will not speak at the podium. Most organizations will make both available.
O’Connell, Brzezinski will speak in Indy… but selectively
Don’t worry, we will get to hear from both Kevin O’Connell and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski next Tuesday, when both sit down with KFAN radio host Paul Allen, who is close friends with both O’Connell and Brzezinski, Rob going back two decades.
Both guys will also meet with local Twin Cities reporters in Indianapolis too (according to the team website) for smaller “on-the-record” interviews. Most times, the Vikings will live stream KOC’s interviews from their official Twitter account, but there was no mention of that happening in the information available at Vikings.com.
According to @PAOnTheMic the ONLY place you will hear Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell and acting General Manager Rob Brezezinski will be on 92Noon on @KFAN1003 next Tuesday and Wednesday. https://t.co/RRwTfEqyYg pic.twitter.com/8QN9eKIHzx
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) February 20, 2026
Paul Allen and Pete Bercich will broadcast 9 to Noon from Indianapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Listen live on KFAN 100.3-FM or visit kfan.com (or listen in the iHeart app).
The programming will include interviews with Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who was selected to guide the team’s offseason efforts after Minnesota parted ways with former General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
O’Connell and Brzezinski are planning to participate in separate on-the-record sessions with Twin Cities media members who travel to Indianapolis.
Vikings.com will have editorial and video coverage from Indianapolis.
Craig Peters (Senior Editor) – Vikings.com
I don’t want to make any assumptions… but it’s almost impossible to believe Kevin O’Connell’s avoidance of the combine spotlight in 2026 is solely due to imminent questions he doesn’t want to answer regarding (a) the departure of former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and (b) the plan at quarterback and JJ McCarthy.
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