When wide receiver Justin Jefferson joined us on PFT Live shortly before the Super Bowl, he gave his thumbs up to the team’s plans to hire then-Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as the team’s next head coach.
That excitement hasn’t dissipated over the last couple of months. Jefferson spoke to reporters at a press conference from the team’s facility on Tuesday and said he believes O’Connell “can connect more with us” than his predecessor Mike Zimmer because he brings a “younger vibe” that’s closer to the players he’s going to be coaching.
“Just for him to come in and be a laid-back coach ready to change the whole program and get us back on that winning stage,” Jefferson said, via the team’s website. “We’re all excited. We’ve seen so many new faces in here, so many new coaches. We have so much potential on this team. We’re all ready to get this thing started back up.”
Jefferson likes more than the vibe O’Connell brings to his dealings with the team. As he noted in February, he also likes what he saw Cooper Kupp do in the Rams offense and has designs on making the same kind of impact for Minnesota this season.
Pulling that off would mean a big third season for Jefferson and a better direction for the Vikings offense as the NFC North club tries to find its way back into the playoffs.
