Charley Walters: Vikings coach O’Connell is going to strike it rich

After three seasons, the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell, just 39 years old, has proven he’s a superb NFL head coach. When his initial four-year contract is extended, his new deal could easily reach $12 million a season over five years. That would make O’Connell one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the NFL.

O’Connell’s current salary is estimated at $5 million a year.

—A national ticket broker last Monday, a day after the Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears for their 12th victory this season, had his phone ringing all day with bandwagon hoppers seeking Vikings tickets. The same for another prominent local broker.

Some of the same customers, used to the price of Twins tickets, are getting sticker shock when they see the price of Vikings tickets.

For instance, lower level U.S. Bank Stadium corner seats for the Vikings-Green Bay Packers game next week already have been sold for $700. And it’s $400 just to get into the stadium for that game.

—One entrepreneur sold four of the white towels the Vikings gave spectators for the Monday night Bears game for $25 each.

—The way it looks now, Kirill Kaprizov’s next contract could exceed $15 million per season. That would put him among the highest-paid players in the NHL.

By the NHL’s labor agreement, free agents are allowed to sign for 20 percent of the league’s salary cap, which could surpass $90 million in two years. The current cap is $88 million.

Kaprizov, 27, who leads the NHL with a plus-23 rating and is a bona fide Hart Trophy candidate for most valuable player, is in the fourth season of a $45 million, five-year contract. He becomes eligible for a new deal next July. The NHL’s highest-paid player is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews, 27, at $16.7 million a year.

How much does Wild owner Craig Leipold figure Kaprizov’s next contract could cost?

“A lot,” Leipold told the Pioneer Press. “I don’t know. We haven’t been put in this position for a long time. But whatever it costs, we’ll have to figure out how to make it work.”

The Wild will, in fact, make it work?

“We will make it work,” Leipold said. ”We’re not talking about that right now — we’re just worried about this year as he is. There’s nothing we can do now, not a thing. All we can do is hope that he’s happy here.

“(Kaprizov’s season) is unbelievable. People in the league still don’t understand what we’ve got here. He is a spectacular player, the real deal.”

—If all Gophers athletes were to share equally in the $20 million per school annual disbursement settlement from among $2.75 billion in damages from the anticipated House v. NCAA name, image and likeness (NIL) case next year, each Gopher would receive about $100,000 a year.

However, some Gophers would receive much more from the pot, many less. For instance, Gophers football freshman Koi Perich made $250,000 this year and will make much more next season.

There’s also a quiet fear that, because Minnesota will have to supply the $20 million annually itself, some non-revenue sports could be cut. Baseball alumni are nervous.

—In his first year on the PGA Tour, Frankie Capan, 25, the North Oaks native, has scheduled the Sony Open Jan. 9-12 in Honolulu, the American Express Jan. 16-19 in La Quinta, Calif., and the Farmers tournament in San Diego Jan. 22-25.

“And kind of go from there,” he said. “I should be in most tournaments other than the “elevated” events, signature events and the majors. “I feel great.”

Among Capan’s apparel sponsors will be UNRL.

—Jeff Sorenson, 46, the teaching professional at Minneapolis’ Minikahda Country Club, shot 69 to win the recent PGA Tournament Series in Port St. Lucie, Fla., then finished runner-up in another Series event, winning $15,000 overall. Sorenson has more than 160 career victories.

— A person named “Tubby” in a mayonnaise jar costume for the Gophers-Virginia Tech Duke’s Mayo Bowl ranks No. 2 among bowl mascots only to a giant “Strawberry” for the Pop-Tarts Bowl featuring Iowa State-Miami among mascots, per si.com.

—Simley High grad Michael Busch, 27, who the Chicago Cubs last week pronounced will be their regular first baseman in 2025, will receive a $325,723 pre-arbitration bonus for hitting .248 with 21 homers last season, when he was paid $741,500 in salary. Meanwhile, an online auction for autographed Busch baseballs has sold out at $60 apiece.

—Ian Anthony Dale, 46, who was Cretin-Derham Hall baseball team’s catcher two years before Joe Mauer’s arrival, has landed a recurring acting role in the new Fox drama “Rescue: Hi Surf,” which is filmed in Hawaii.

—That was Mauer, who sounded the Gjallerhorn prior to the Vikings-Bears game, and rapper Vanilla Ice, who performed at halftime, spending significant time greeting fans and having photos taken on the suite level at U.S. Bank Stadium.

—Condolences to the family of former Gophers basketball standout Jim Shikenjanski, who recently lost his wife of 30 years, Rebecca, to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

—Cory Provus, the peerless Twins play-by-play TV voice, is working about 15 major college men’s basketball games this offseason, mainly the Big Ten. That’s after working 150 Twins games last season.

Physically, how does he manage the schedule?

“Well, I stopped drinking alcohol (last March), and that helps,” said Provus, 46, who was only a modest drinker. “I said to myself, into this new role with TV (from radio), that I really want to put myself into a position that I want to control the controllable. If there are things that I truly can control, I want to be able to do that — I’m a big proponent of that.

“I never want to not be at my best because of a poor decision I made the night before. I’ve maintained that in the offseason.”

—Soon to be announced is a first-time streaming, direct-to-consumer Twins TV platform option. That will eliminate all blackouts. Look for cable and satellite distribution to be announced early next year.

—Justin Morneau will be the Twins’ primary TV analyst next season.

—Tommy John, 81, the former Twins TV analyst who won 288 games during a 26-year pitching career, was overlooked again in the recent Classic Era Baseball Hall of Fame election.

“I feel bad for him,” Hall of Fame former Twins pitcher Jim Kaat told the Pioneer Press. “I know how difficult it is now with so many good candidates on the ballot. I’m confident Tommy will make it the next time around.”

—The next time around for managers for Hall of Fame voting will be 2027. That’s when Tom Kelly, who managed the Twins to World Series championships in 1987 and 1991, will again be eligible.

Kaat, 86, who also could have warranted the Hall of Fame based on his long, brilliant baseball broadcast career, said Kelly, 74, certainly warrants consideration.

“When you look at TK’s career, two world championships in a small market in a short period of time,” Kaat said.

—Twins manager Rocco Baldelli will have a staff of 11 next season. Kelly managed with fewer than half that total.

—Among FanDuel Sports Network broadcast talent for Minnesota Frost professional women’s hockey games will be Clay Matvick, Alexis Pearson, Katie Storm and Audra Martin.

—Among the 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate to review the Classic Baseball Era ballot was Hall of Famer Paul Molitor from St. Paul.

—Best-selling Vikings jerseys at the team’s Mall of America store, in order, are Justin Jefferson, Sam Darnold and Andrew Van Ginkel.

—The Creighton men’s basketball team that upset then-No. 1 Kansas 76-63 recently has 6-foot-9 former Wayzata star Jackson McAndrew starting as a true freshman and playing for a six-figure NIL deal.

—St. Paul lost a baseball legend with the recent passing at 84 of Bob Wasko, who pitched for the 1960 Gophers NCAA championship team, then in the New York Yankees’ farm system. He was a 12-letter winner at Monroe High.

—Local on-field football officials awarded bowl games this season: Kurt Dingmann and Ed Beavers, New Orleans bowl; Will Steinke and Stacy Jameson, Independence; Steve Thielen and Josh Dascher, Birmingham; Jeff Meslow, Holiday; Jason Nickleby, the first round of the national playoffs between Clemson and Texas; Gordy Hanson, first round of FCS, and Jason Perkins and Ivan Cardona, second round FCS.

—Ex-Vikings linebacker great Scott Studwell previews the playoffs at a Capital Club breakfast Jan. 9 at Mendakota Country Club.

—Happy birthday: Hall of Fame Hamline University football coach Dick Mulkern

—Former Vikings Pro Bowl center Jeff Christy’s daughter Kennedy was named MVP for Juniata College in the recent Division III national volleyball championship. Quipped Jeff to Juniata’s coach, “Don’t make that (championship) ring bigger than my Super Bowl ring (Tampa Bay 2003).”

Don’t print that

—Unless he falters in the final three regular season games, it looks like the Vikings would use the one-year franchise tag on Sam Darnold, expected to be worth about $42 million. As a free agent, the 27-year-old QB, playing for $10 million this season, could expect a three-year deal in the $140 million range.

—There remain a lot of moving parts regarding next year’s Vikings QB situation. Should the Vikings, who have just three picks (two are fifth-rounders) in next year’s draft, sign Darnold long-term, it’s not far-fetched that they consider trading this year’s first-round pick, still unproven and rehabbing (two knee procedures) J.J. McCarthy. That would be worth at least a first-round pick to the Vikings, whose 2025 first-round pick currently looks to be in the No. 28 range.

—If Darnold were to leave via free agency, the Vikings could expect a compensatory draft pick in the third-round range, but not until 2026.

—If the Vikings (12-2) don’t win the NFC North, they would be on the road for the playoffs potentially against Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Rams or even Detroit (12-2) if the Eagles defeat the Lions for the No. 1 seed.

Because the Vikings would lose a tiebreaker with Detroit, they basically would have to win one more game than the Lions, who should win Sunday against the Bears. Next for Detroit is the beat-up San Francisco 49ers, so the Lions have the advantage in strength of schedule before finishing in a mammoth game against the Vikings in Detroit.

The Vikings have to hope they have the same record as the Lions into that last game.

—Pssst: Among potential new suitors for the Minnesota Twins is an older, Harvard-educated billionaire who made millions in the vegetable industry and has always wanted to own a major league baseball team. Meanwhile, one deep-pocketed local businessman is said to be losing interest.

The Pioneer Press reported last February that lately-rumored Twins suitor Mat Ishbia, the Michigan mortgage mogul who two years ago with brother Justin bought the Phoenix Suns and WNBA Mercury for $4 billion, inquired of Glen Taylor about buying the Timberwolves, and probably would have paid more than the $1.5 billion that Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore offered. But the timing wasn’t right for Taylor.

The Twins’ sale process, which could fetch $2 billion for the Pohlad family, is expected to take between nine and 12 months, most likely closing in summer of 2025.

—Who can blame the Pohlads for wanting to sell the Twins: Juan Soto’s new free agent guaranteed $765 million deal with the New York Mets will average $315,000 per game for 15 seasons. And he’s a lousy defensive outfielder.

—Two more names expected to receive consideration if the Gophers men’s basketball team makes a coaching change at season’s end: Ryan Saunders, the former Gopher from Wayzata who’s an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, and Sean Sweeney, the former University of St. Thomas and Cretin-Derham Hall star who’s the top assistant with the Dallas Mavericks.

Besides Colorado State head coach Niko Medved, the former Gophers team manager from Roseville, Utah head Craig Smith, who is from Stephen, Minn., is also expected to be considered.

And word in coaching circles is that Tom Crean, the fiery former Georgia, Indiana and Marquette coach, would love to have the Minnesota job.

—Pssst: One Minnesota high school junior star already has committed to a $300,000 NIL deal upon graduation with a major college outside of Minnesota.

—A year ago, the University of St. Thomas men’s basketball team lost Andrew Rhode to a $450,000 NIL deal to Virginia, and it will be surprising if athletic 6-5 freshman star Nolan Minessale a year from now doesn’t have NIL bidders.

—Dan O’Brien, who coached Holy Family to the Minnesota state football tournament after the school finished 0-9 two seasons ago, would seem a natural fit if there’s a Cretin-Derham Hall vacancy.

—With NHL players getting bigger, stronger and faster, the Wild traded for 6-4, 209-pound defenseman David Jiricek.

“David Jiricek is a big man — you notice him when he’s on the ice,” Wild owner Craig Leipold said. “I went to practice (soon after the trade with Columbus) and I didn’t know his number or what he looked like, but I looked down on the ice and the biggest guy, sure enough, was David Jiricek.

“Our scouts believe he is going to be a top defenseman in this league, and that’s going to put us in great position for the next five to 15 years of having four really good, young defensemen.”

The Wild gave up a lot for Jiricek.

“Yeah we did, but we think we got a lot,” Leipold said.

—Now there’s buzz that RBC has joined Securian among financial firms under consideration to replace Xcel Energy Center as corporate naming sponsor for the St. Paul Arena. A deal could be worth at least $10 million a year over 25 years.

—Not everyone feels badly about last week’s demotion in Atlanta of ex-Vikings QB Kirk Cousins. One longtime Vikings staffer considered him an egomaniac.

—Nearly all Minnesota pro sports teams are actively involved in supporting legalized sports betting.

Overheard

—NBC Sports NFL analyst Rodney Harrison, on the Seahawks’ secondary the Vikings will face Sunday in Seattle: “The most talented secondary in the NFL.”