EGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell met with the team's ownership group this week and said Thursday he hopes to sign a contract extension to stay with the team.

"I do," O'Connell said. "I do. I had a good conversation with our owners this week and reflected on it at the end of the season. Other than that, I'd rather keep those discussions internal."

The news comes amid ongoing reports that other NFL teams are interested in trading O'Connell if the Vikings move him on during the current coaching cycle. Sources told ESPN last week that the Vikings had no interest in a trade, and O'Connell said the Vikings were "where I want to be."

O'Connell's current contract was signed in February 2022 and will expire after the 2025 season. He went 13-4 in his first season and 7-10 in his second before owners Zygi and Mark Wilf refused to offer him or general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a contract extension. Multiple sources told ESPN that O'Connell was unhappy with the decision, but Mark Wilf said in August that contract discussions would take place after the 2024 season, if necessary.

In what was essentially a "prove it yourself" season, O'Connell led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and their second playoff berth in three years. With a 34-17 career record, he now has the ability to command a more lucrative contract than he will get after the 2023 season.

O'Connell, speaking to Minnesota reporters Thursday, did not directly answer whether there are any lingering tensions that must be resolved before a deal can be finalized.

"I would say I love being the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings," he said, "and so I love our ownership. I have a great relationship with our ownership and I feel very fortunate, not only They support us and believe in us, and the impact they have on our players, our locker room and ultimately where we all want to go together is really, really good."

Like O'Connell, Adofo-Mensah signed a four-year contract when he was hired in January 2022. He said Thursday that he also met with the Wilf team this week.

“They expressed to me their appreciation for Kevin’s and my leadership,” Adofo-Mensah said. "They were really supportive of us. I'll always think back to the incredible opportunity they gave me. I always dreamed of being the general manager of an organization that was trying to do things they hadn't done before. I'll still be there Waking up in the morning and thinking about what that would be like, I always come back to how grateful I am for them and what I want to be as a future general manager... I don't think I would if I signed a contract tomorrow. Just run like you're afraid to get anything and just want to win it."