Kevin O’Connell’s Message to $34M Star QB Raises Eyebrows

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell had a surprising message of support for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson after his benching ahead of the teams’ matchup last week.

The Colts sidelined the 22-year-old signal caller following a loss to the Houston Texans, during which he pulled himself out of the game for one play, excusing the move later by saying he “was tired.” The subsequent scrutiny came down on the Richardson like an avalanche and led to Indy naming veteran Joe Flacco the starter against Minnesota on “Sunday Night Football.”

O’Connell met Richardson at midfield after the Vikings bested the Colts by a score of 21-13, during which the two shared a hug and the head coach gave the opposing quarterback a heartfelt vote of confidence.

“Hey, do me a favor and remember something,” O’Connell said. “You’re a bad dude. And you’re gonna play a long time in this league. Alright? Go to work every day, good things will happen for you. I still believe in you.”

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Anthony Richardson, Vikings Could Make Sense at Some Future Point

O’Connell is a former NFL quarterback himself who never made it big under center, but rather had his star turn as an offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won a Super Bowl, and now as a head coach in Minnesota.

So while O’Connell may have simply been empathizing with a young talent who has a high ceiling but a massive amount of development ahead of him, there is also nothing wrong with building relationships that could bud into a professional team-up somewhere down the line.

Richardson is in the second year of his $34 million rookie contract, while the Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft. It doesn’t appear likely that any sort of union between Minnesota and Richardson would come soon, though a year from now could be an entirely different story.

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Sam Darnold Likely Moves on From Vikings in 2025

Sam Darnold, who is on a one-year contract in Minnesota, probably won’t be back in purple and gold next year.

The team’s starter has played too well and is too young (currently just 27 years old) with too much need at QB around the league to come rejoin the Vikings at any sort of discount. Sports pundits generally view the 2025 quarterback class as moderate, and that is putting it kindly.

Plenty of teams need new starters and/or starters for the future, and due to a limited set of draft and free agent prospects, Darnold could enter the offseason as the most coveted QB entity on the market.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is liable to take a step backwards as it transitions to McCarthy in his second year to see what they have. Richardson, who may or may not be back under center as the Colts’ starter come 2025, will be playing the third year of his deal, which is the last season before Indy must decide whether to exercise its fifth-year option on his contract.

If Darnold leaves, McCarthy struggles and the Colts choose not to pick up Richardson’s option, that would create a scenario in 2026 wherein the Vikings and O’Connell may be interested in acquiring Richardson via a trade.

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