Vikings Coaching Search: Jim Harbaugh, Kevin O'Connell, DeMeco Ryans Rumored to Be Finalists

The Vikings might be down to three candidates as they narrow their search for a new head coach.

Nothing is official, but it appears the Vikings' coaching search might be down to three finalists: Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell, and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

Update: Rams DC Raheem Morris will get a second interview this week as well, per Adam Schefter.

O'Connell and Ryans' units faced off in Sunday's NFC championship game, and both will interview with the Vikings for a second time this week. O'Connell's in-person interview is set for Monday, while Tuesday would make sense for Ryans. Because the Vikings already interviewed both coaches virtually, the outcome of Sunday's game didn't affect their availability.

The wild card in this race is Harbaugh, who is considering a return to the NFL. He had a conversation with the Vikings and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Saturday that described as "exploratory" by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It wasn't an official interview, but the Vikings were gauging Harbaugh's interest in their vacancy. He's also been connected to the Dolphins in rumors, with one person suggesting Miami is the favorite. There's also the chance he's exploring his NFL options to leverage Michigan into giving him a big-money extension.

If Harbaugh wants to come to Minnesota, it might be difficult for them to go in any other direction. He's had success everywhere he's gone, from Stanford to the 49ers to Michigan. He went 49-22-1 in four years during his first NFL coaching stint, taking San Francisco to three consecutive NFC title games. Harbaugh's personality isn't for everyone, but he's a proven winner and that could be hard for the Vikings to pass up. He was the head coach in SF for the first two years of Adofo-Mensah's NFL career. The defensive coordinator was former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, who could potentially reunite with Harbaugh in Minnesota if things go in that direction.

But that's not to say O'Connell or Ryans wouldn't be very intriguing hires as first-time head coaches if Harbaugh isn't ultimately interested or the Vikings make a different choice.

O'Connell is a former QB who fits the "bright, young, offensive mind" mold that many teams are looking for these days. The 36-year-old spent the past two seasons as the Rams' OC after three years in Washington. In 2017, he was Kirk Cousins' QB coach for a season. Before that, he spent 2016 with the 49ers, overlapping with Adofo-Mensah for that one year. His first coaching gig came as the Browns' QB coach in 2015.

The concern some fans have with O'Connell is that he doesn't call plays. But everyone starts out as a play-caller eventually (he got his feet wet in that department in the preseason this year), and he's spent the past two seasons learning from one of the game's great offensive coaches in Sean McVay. O'Connell is a huge part of the Rams' game-planning, play design, and installments. There's a lot more to an offensive coordinator's duties than simply calling plays.

O'Connell has also been connected to the Texans and Jaguars recently. But if the Vikings want him, it's tough to imagine he'd pass that job up to join one of those two dysfunctional franchises, even with the presence of Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.

Ryans is a similar age at 37 years old. Like O'Connell, he's a former player who hasn't been coaching for all that long but is rocketing up the ranks due to his talent. After a decade as a linebacker in the NFL, he got started with the 49ers in 2017. Ryans spent 2018-20 as their inside linebackers coach before replacing Robert Saleh at DC this year. He's an incredible defensive mind who has had a remarkable run so far in the postseason, holding the Cowboys and Packers offenses to a combined 27 points. Just as importantly, Ryans is a phenomenal leader who connects with players and is always calm and poised.

There are some who don't want the Vikings to hire another defense-minded coach because of how the Mike Zimmer era ended and the potential turnover at offensive coordinator that could ensue. But if you're losing your OC to a head-coaching gig, that means things are going well. And their are plenty of successful defensive HCs in the league, from Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin to Sean McDermott and Mike Vrabel. If the Vikings deem Ryans to be the best leader of their remaining candidates, he should be the hire.

It seems fair to assume that a hire may be coming by the end of this week.

With the Raiders hiring Josh McDaniels on Saturday, that leaves just the Vikings, Saints, Dolphins, Jaguars, and Texans with coaching vacancies.

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