The ProFootballTalk publisher says it stems from O’Connell not getting an extension last year.

Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk is a prolific NFL media figure who is never shy about stirring up the pot. He has a tendency to weigh in on various hypotheticals and rumors from around the league, sometimes driving them with his own reporting.

Last offseason, Florio repeatedly fanned the flames around the idea of the Vikings trading superstar receiver Justin Jefferson, even choosing not to let it go after the team ended up signing Jefferson to a massive contract extension.

Now he’s back at it. This time, Florio is claiming that there’s tension between head coach Kevin O’Connell and Vikings ownership because O’Connell didn’t receive a contract extension prior to last season. KOC has one year left in the four-year deal he signed in 2022, making an extension for their head coach the No. 1 order of business for the Vikings this offseason.

“There’s tension in the relationship, stemming largely from the fact that he didn’t get an extension after his second season,” Florio wrote on Tuesday. “Now that he’s one year away from free agency, he could be willing to let it ride, if necessary, and hit the market. … If O’Connell chooses to bet on himself for one more year, he might end up with a lot more from another team than whatever the Vikings will offer.”

Prior to the Vikings’ Week 18 game against the Lions, FOX’s Jay Glazer came out with a report that multiple teams are considering trying to trade for O’Connell, who holds the leverage in this situation, according to Glazer. After that was met with widespread skepticism, the veteran reporter doubled down last week, saying “I don’t really get a lot wrong.” (Vikings radio announcer Paul Allen was displeased with whoever gave Glazer that scoop prior to Minnesota’s biggest game of the season).

Florio has now joined Glazer in feeding this storyline. Here’s another sampling from his piece:

“Beyond money, O’Connell could be looking for more say in roster construction. For better alignment with the General Manager. For a situation where he’ll have more of what he needs to put together a team that can both get to the playoffs and win when the postseason arrives. If there’s an impasse, the Vikings will have to choose between one more year and no compensation on the back end and listening to the teams that might be calling about O’Connell. It’s unclear what another team would offer, or what the Vikings would want. But it bears watching.”

What are we even talking about here? “Better alignment with the GM?” O’Connell, by all accounts, has a great relationship with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Since being hired together three years ago, they’ve talked repeatedly about collaboration and organizational alignment. “A situation where he’ll have more of what he needs?” O’Connell’s current team just drafted a QB tenth overall last year, has elite offensive pieces in place on the roster — plus all kinds of cap space this year — and boasts some of the best facilities and resources in the NFL.

Florio even brought up that the New York Jets have “coincidentally, or not” interviewed Darren Mougey, O’Connell’s college roommate, for their GM position. He also mentioned O’Connell’s father being a retired FBI agent as a reason why O’Connell could play hardball, saying “it’s in the family DNA to match wits with the rich and powerful.”

Again, what are we talking about here?

Florio’s main point, which he echoed in an interview with Allen on KFAN on Wednesday, is that this will come down to money. The idea is that if O’Connell wants more compensation on his new contract than what the Wilf family is willing to give him, that’s where things could go bad. And one factor that’s now been thrown into the mix is how the two sides view the disparity between O’Connell’s regular season success (he’s 34-17 in his three years) and his 0-2 record in the postseason, including Monday night’s ugly blowout loss to the Rams.

“The tension is there,” Florio told Allen. “And I think if Kevin O’Connell doesn’t get the kind of contract that he thinks he deserves, he’d be inclined to finish out his contract and take his chances. … When we entered Week 18, I think O’Connell was in blank check territory as it relates to whatever he wanted from the Wilfs. The biggest challenge now is the two sides properly assessing the impact of 31-9 (against the Lions) and 27-9 (against the Rams) on his leverage. It’s not a blank check anymore, so what’s the number?”

To be clear, I don’t think that’s a completely unreasonable point from Florio. I also don’t doubt that Glazer’s report was driven by information from someone close to this situation.

But the whole thing feels a lot like the Jefferson speculation last year. At this point, there’s no reason to believe the Vikings won’t sign O’Connell to a very hefty new long-term contract, even after the disappointing end to this season. Owner Mark Wilf told the Star Tribune earlier this month that extension talks will happen with both O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after the season. There doesn’t seem to be any reason why they’d try to lowball O’Connell, or why O’Connell would want out of Minnesota.

“I’m not really interested in addressing the rumors or speculation,” O’Connell said last week when asked about the Glazer report. “What I can tell you is I love this team, I love everything about this organization, and this is where I want to be. This is where I want to keep coaching and leading.”

O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah will hold end-of-season press conferences on Thursday, so it’s possible this topic could come up again. And until O’Connell puts pen to paper on a new deal with Minnesota, the speculation from people like Florio will continue to exist, whether justified or not.