EAGAN, Minn. — There's a fire lit beneath Brian O'Neill.

The Vikings right tackle hasn't ever struggled to find motivation, but he's especially energized by a new season, a new coach to learn from and the opportunity to help the team bounce back. Minnesota ended the 2025 campaign with five straight wins to finish 9-8 but still fell short of the postseason and its goals.

"You don't play to be home the first week of January," O'Neill told Twin Cities media members Wednesday following the Vikings second of three minicamp practices. "You play to be in the mix at the end of the year, and we didn't get there.

"There's a little kick in the butt to raise the standard and be better as a group and better as an offense," he added. "It's definitely there, and we definitely we feel the urgency."

O'Neill appreciates the opportunity to continue gleaning from Keith Carter, who served as the team's assistant offensive line coach in 2025 and this offseason was elevated to lead the group. The Vikings added Derek Warehime to assist Carter, as well.

O'Neill, who will turn 31 in September, has played at a high level for Minnesota since being thrown into the fire Week 6 of his rookie season. An injury to Riley Reiff (replaced at LT by Rashod Hill) resulted in O'Neill's first start, a number that's grown to 120 games.

He's garnered two Pro Bowl nods (following the 2021 and 2024 seasons) and has made an indelible impact on Minnesota's offense through multiple coaching, scheme and quarterback changes.

Has O'Neill reached his ceiling?

"No, not even close," he emphatically responded. "Anytime you move to a new coach and do things a little bit differently, there's some things that, 'Hey, we like that, we need to keep that, but you got away with some of this stuff. Let's not get away with that stuff. Let's get better.'

"Keith certainly has a lot of those for me, and I'm excited," O'Neill added.

O'Neill is ready to work with whichever QB wins the starting job between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray, who have been sharing first-team reps. O'Neill noted Murray's even-keel mentality demeanor while learning and adjusting to a new system.

"He's levelheaded. He's the same guy every day," O'Neill said. "Whether it's one of the base plays we learned the first day or it's something new that went in yesterday.

"I know this offense and I've been in it, and I know there's a hell of a lot to learn, but he'll get it," O'Neill added. "You need to get it. That's the fact. I need to get it, the things we're doing differently up front. Yeah, we have time, but we need to get it — that's just the nature of the game. That's why it's so hard to play in this league, and I have no doubt that he will."

In addition to installing new offensive wrinkles and adapting to a new teaching style under Carter, O'Neill also is learning a handful of new drills introduced by the OL coach.

He explained there's "some things that are naturally the same" regardless of leader, but new tools are always welcomed.

"There's only so many schemes you run in the NFL. There's only so many ways to block third-and-10 in the NFL," O'Neill said, "but from a technique standpoint, how we're coming off the ball, how we're talking about different blocks, how we're going to try to do more of certain blocks and [fewer] of others. There's definitely a learning curve, and it's good to be challenged in a new way, if that makes sense. 'Fresh' can be a good thing.

"You want to be held to a standard," O'Neill said. "You want the bar to be high, and you want to be expected to play great. That is the expectation, and that's how we need to be coached."

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