Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Tuesday that he thought quarterback J.J. McCarthy improved during the 2025 season and outlined the plan for continuing McCarthy’s development in the offseason.
O’Connell said that he thinks “a deep and talented quarterback room will only enhance [McCarthy’s] ability” to grow as a player and that means the team is going to focus on adding competition to that room in the coming months. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer is currently the only other quarterback under contract for next season.
“I think there has to be,” O’Connell said, via the team’s website. “That’s what’s going to make everybody better in that room. It’s going to be what makes our entire offense thrive through that competition. That should be how our entire organization looks at their individual roles when we compete against each other in the different aspects of the offseason,” he added. “I ultimately think that’s what will [prepare] not only the starter but the next guy and the next guy, and we’ve learned we’ve got to get a lot of guys ready to play. And we’ve got to do it with a responsibility of being the best version of our offense.”
O’Connell said that it remains to be seen what the approach will mean in terms of reps for different quarterbacks, but that McCarthy’s progress will be “a major, major emphasis for our staff” however things wind up looking when the team returns to practice.
Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison’s attorney Tim Younger has made a comment about Addison’s arrest earlier this week.
Addison was arrested at 3:46 a.m. ET on Monday in Tampa and was booked for probable cause trespassing in an occupied structure or conveyance. Younger posted on X.com that Addison’s attorneys believe that their client will be cleared of any charge.
“On Jordan’s behalf, his legal team has already initiated the investigation, identified witnesses, and we are reviewing the viability of a claim for false arrest,” Younger wrote. “He looks forward to the legal process and upon full investigation, we are confident Mr. Addison will be exonerated.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Tuesday that he had just learned of the incident and that any speculation about what happened or the response to it “would be incredibly premature for me.”
The Ravens have completed another head coaching interview.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores met with the team on Tuesday. It’s the first head coaching interview for Flores in this cycle and he has also drawn interest from other teams as a defensive coordinator.
The Vikings have expressed a desired to have Flores back and PFT reported Monday that they are confident he will be back if he does not land a top job somewhere else.
The Ravens have also interviewed former Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Broncos quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator Davis Webb, and Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph during their search for John Harbaugh’s successor.
Vikings receiver Jordan Addison, who was suspended for three games to start the season due to a DUI-related no-contest plea, has another legal issue.
Via Joe Nelson of SI.com, Addison was booked on Monday for “probable cause trespassing” in Tampa.
The alleged incident occurred at an “occupied structure or conveyance on the 5200 block of Orient Road,” a block occupied by multiple restaurants and clubs.
Addison was arrested at 3:46 a.m. ET on Monday and released on $500 bond at 2:40 p.m. ET.
Coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about the arrest during an end-of-season press conference on Tuesday.
“I just learned about that very, very recently, so I don’t want to speculate on that in any way, shape, or form,” O’Connell said, via Nelson. “We gotta get as many facts and find out exactly what happened. Speculating at this point would be incredibly premature for me.”
In 14 games with 12 starts during the 2025 season, Addison had 42 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns. A first-round pick in 2023, the Vikings have to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option by early May.
The 2026 coaching staff in Minnesota will have one fairly significant change.
On Tuesday, coach Kevin O’Connell announced that assistant head coach Mike Pettine is retiring.
Pettine, 59, joined the Vikings in 2022. In 2024, Pettine was both the assistant head coach and the outside linebackers coach.
He served as head coach of the Browns from 2014 through 2015. Before that, Pettine spent three years as the defensive coordinator of the Jets (2009 through 2012) and one with the Bills (2013). He coordinated the defense in Green Bay from 2018 through 2020.
Moving forward, O’Connell will need to appoint a new assistant head coach. For now, the bigger question is whether O’Connell will be replacing defensive coordinator Brian Flores, either because he has gotten a head-coaching job or because he has decided to work elsewhere as a defensive coordinator.
