The Chicago Bears face a difficult challenge in 2026. Can they repeat as division champions? It would mark the first time since 2005-2006 that it has happened. The problem is that the NFC North is much tougher these days than it was 20 years ago. Much of that has to do with every team being better at roster-building and especially the head coaches involved. Dan Campbell turned around Detroit. Matt LaFleur has been consistently successful in Green Bay. Ben Johnson arrived like a lightning bolt in Chicago. Then you have Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota.
At first glance, the man has been terrific for the Vikings. He’s led them to two seasons of 13 or more wins, has three winning seasons in four years, and has made the playoffs twice. One would think the man is in no danger of losing his job. However, circumstances have changed in the past several months. League insider Tyler Dunne of Go Long mentioned it. O’Connell has not won a playoff game, for one. Then there is Sam Darnold. O’Connell’s decision to let the eventual Super Bowl champion QB walk last spring caused a serious dent in the coach’s credibility. It has gotten to a point where 2026 is must-win territory.
Kevin O’Connell could lose his job if Minnesota falters.
This season will be defined by O’Connell and Murray fighting for their football lives.
KOC hasn’t won a playoff game in four years. Murray, the former No. 1 overall pick, was driven out of Arizona. Motivation can be a powerful thing. While O’Connell and Nolan Teasley both report to ownership, co-owner Mark Wilf was asked point blank who’s in charge. “Nolan is,” Wilf said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “He’s the general manager of the organization. He has final say on the roster, of the 53, but in the end, he’s going to lean heavily … on our head coach, obviously, and people like Rob Brzezinski in the building that have deep experience and skill sets that are complementary.”
All parties trumpeted the virtues of collaboration. The Vikings leaned heavily on O’Connell in choosing Teasley. The two have known each other for years through Seahawks GM John Schneider. Synergy seems real. But we’ve also seen countless GMs over the years seek their own head coach hire when the pressure cranks up. It’s fair to reason O’Connell needs to make the playoffs in 2026 and show hope for 2027 after the Darnold miscalculation.
There are certain decisions coaches don’t recover from.
Many of them center around quarterbacks. Jerry Glanville kept Brett Favre on the bench in Atlanta. Wade Phillips went with Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie. Kevin Stefanski signed off on trading Baker Mayfield. The coaches may survive for another couple of seasons, but they never really regain the magic they had. Darnold’s immediate success in Seattle right after winning 14 games in Minnesota was the worst possible outcome for O’Connell. He wanted everybody to think that the quarterback’s career resurgence was entirely thanks to his coaching.
All people had to do was trust him. J.J. McCarthy was his guy. He was a national championship winner. A competitor. Everything would be fine. McCarthy played 10 games, threw 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and battled injuries for the second straight season. Rather than stick things out, Kevin O’Connell pulled the emergency brake, pivoting to free agent Kyler Murray. Once again, he’s betting on his ability to turn around struggling quarterbacks. The desperation is pretty evident.
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Chicago has a golden opportunity.
Despite the buzz around O’Connell, there is no denying he’s been a very good head coach in Minnesota. His offensive aptitude is obvious, and he’s shown he can win a lot of games when the personnel is right. Unfortunately, his ego appears to have gotten ahead of his ability. After the Darnold success, he started thinking he could make anybody a good quarterback. It has never worked that way in the NFL. Now the Bears have a chance to convince the Vikings to boot him out of town.
That can be done by beating them in the two games this coming season. Chicago almost did that last year. They beat the Vikings on the road and should’ve beaten them in the season opener if not for a late collapse. A season sweep would put Minnesota in a tough spot, increasing their need to win their four other divisional contests. That is hardly a gimme against Green Bay and Detroit. If O’Connell does get canned, it threatens to weaken one of the Bears’ biggest obstacles to sustained success.
