“NFL Legend Keenan McCardell Takes Over as NFC Offensive Coordinator—Will His Pro Bowl Experience Lead Them to Victory?”

Live from Orlando: Keenan McCardell Brings Competitive Fire to NFC as Pro Bowl OC

ORLANDO, Fla. – Some things never change. Once a competitor, always a competitor.

It’s been 16 years since Keenan McCardell last suited up in the NFL, but the Vikings wide receivers coach hasn’t lost an ounce of the energy that made him a standout player for 17 seasons. Now thriving as a coach, helping develop stars like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, McCardell is bringing that same fire to the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games—this time as the offensive coordinator for the NFC.

On the other sideline? Fellow NFL Legend Wes Welker, who just wrapped up his second season coaching Dolphins receivers, is running the AFC offense.

McCardell’s Energy is Contagious

For the Vikings players representing the NFC—C.J. Ham, Danielle Hunter, and Andrew DePaola—having McCardell leading the charge has been a blast.

“The energy he brings is always contagious, and he’s just out there having fun and dialing it up,” said Ham, who’s embracing every moment under McCardell and fellow NFC leader Eli Manning.

For McCardell, this week is more than just a coaching opportunity—it’s a chance to reconnect with players and coaches from around the league. One of his favorite reunions? Seeing Manning, whom he first met in 2009 when then-Giants head coach Tom Coughlin brought him to training camp as a coaching intern.

“It’s been great [to reunite with Eli],” McCardell said Friday. “We connected right away back in 2009, and he’s still the same guy. It’s been really good.”

Beyond old friends, he’s also excited for the Vikings stars on the NFC squad.

“I’m happy for our guys—C.J., Danielle, ‘Deep’ (DePaola). They deserve it,” McCardell said. “They played great this year, and they’re the heart and soul of our team. It’s good to have them here.”

A Pro Bowler Who Knows What It Means

As a two-time Pro Bowler, McCardell understands just how much this moment means for players.

“It means a lot. It shows your peers see you as an up-and-coming superstar—or that you’ve arrived as a superstar in this league,” he said.

He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 1996 after a 1,129-yard season with Jacksonville, lining up alongside legends like Randall McDaniel, John Randle, and Cris Carter in Honolulu, Hawai’i. His second nod came in 2003, after 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns with the Buccaneers.

While the game format and location have changed, one thing remains constant:

“You can’t take the competition out of them,” McCardell said with a laugh.

Expect the Pro Bowl to Get Intense

That competitive fire was already on display during Thursday night’s Skills Challenge.

“As you saw in dodgeball and the snap-off, those guys got really competitive at the end,” McCardell pointed out. “That’s what makes it fun.”

Ham has been loving the stories from McCardell about how things always get serious in the fourth quarter.

“He told us how back in the day, it started lighthearted, but by those last five minutes, everybody was going 100 percent,” Ham said. “I’m expecting the same thing Sunday.”

And what’s McCardell cooking up for the NFC offense?

With a sly grin, he teased, “We’ve got some tricks. But mostly, you call some plays, step back, and let the best in the game make them work.”

Get ready—Sunday’s Pro Bowl is about to heat up!

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