There has been plenty of online criticism of Kevin O'Connell for his offensive playcalling, schemes, and underwhelming performance this offseason. The famed quarterback whisperer has struggled to develop a quarterback in his system, as he is on his third week-one starter in as many years. However, his offense, when on point, is as good as any in the NFL, and ESPN shouted that out recently.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN contributed to an article going over every playcaller for all 32 NFL offenses, and sang the praises of O'Connell:
O'Connell has earned a reputation as one of the NFL's craftiest playcallers. Knowledgeable observers are impressed when they realize, in retrospect, how he builds the stage for big plays from one part of a game to another, or one week
to another. He has faced criticism for his preference to throw in short-yardage situations; the Vikings have the highest designed pass rate (57.3%) on third-and-2 or shorter during his tenure. But he called designed runs more often in 2025, in short-yardage and overall, and the belief is he will continue to do so.
We have never seen O'Connell with a mobile quarterback before, so it will be fascinating to see what this offense looks like in 2026. A lot of it depends on the level of play he gets from Murray, but if he and O'Connell are in sync, the ceiling for this offense is as high as it's been since he took over the job in 2022.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: ESPN highlights Kevin O'Connell's craftiness as a playcaller
