Young, groundbreaking, innovative thinkers have recently acquired a royal reputation in the NFL.

While they're not quite a dime a dozen, there's an influx of them, and it's smart to know their names, their jobs and in what ways they're influencing the game. They are, quite literally, the future of football.

Jourdan Rodrigue and Mike Jones of The Athletic put their heads together Wednesday to form the definitive list of up-and-coming wunderkinds and age-hurdling figures in the National Football League.

They dubbed it the "NFL 50 under 40," and it gushes with coaches, executives, personalities and other personnel who are making waves at a relatively young age; names like former Vikings assistant coach Grant Udinski, who was just hired as Jacksonville's offensive coordinator, and ex-Eagles All-Pro center turned media darling Jason Kelce, plus the buzziest agents in the landscape.

The Athletic began the catalog in 2020 with the "40 under 40" moniker but deemed it due for a makeover after a two-year hiatus. An exploding pool of 30-somethings prompted the expansion.

Rodrigue and Jones described the intent of the list as revealing "something deeper than a quick trend: the movers and shakers in every corner of the NFL's ecosystem who will help mold it for years to come."

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell being on it hardly comes as a surprise.

The Bill Belichick-drafted former quarterback dizzied defenses this past season and caused hordes of media folk, former players and fans alike to laud his expertise as a brilliant offensive play designer.

O'Connell turns 40 in late May, but for now is one of the hottest under-40 names in the NFL:

After winning a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator of the L.A. Rams to cap the 2021 season, O'Connell landed the Vikings head coaching job and has made an instant impact, posting a 13-win season in Year 1 and a 14-win season in Year 3. Minnesota's 14 wins in 2024 represented the most for the team since 1998's 15-win campaign. The Vikings have reached the playoffs in two of O'Connell's three seasons. The AP Coach of the Year in 2024, O'Connell delivered an impressive body of work while helping resurrect the career of quarterback Sam Darnold, who previously had been deemed a bust after disastrous stints with the New York Jets, who drafted him third overall in 2018, and the Carolina Panthers. Darnold earned Pro Bowl honors after ranking fifth in the NFL with 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes.

Rodrigue and Jones included four other head coaches: Liam Coen, freshly hired by Jacksonville; Seattle's Mike Macdonald, who guided the Seahawks to 10 wins and second place in the NFC West in his debut season; O'Connell mentor Sean McVay, who was only 30 when the Rams hired him in 2017, and Kellen Moore, charged with leading the Saints after coordinating Philadelphia's offense to a Super Bowl victory.

Unsurprisingly, again, there's a second member of the Vikings touted in the "50 under 40" piece; it's confirmation that Minnesota's competitive rebuild has benefited greatly from youthful skill and energy.

Here's the SparkNotes scoop on Vikings Vice President of Football Operations Demitrius Washington.

One senior former colleague in San Francisco calls Washington "Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's go-to guy" in Minnesota, where Washington is building out advanced draft and pro personnel talent identification processes using technology, analytics and bespoke programming alongside traditional football scouting methods. Washington's understanding of how to marry technology with football is championed by Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings scouting and football departments. The two executives previously led the San Francisco 49ers forward-thinking R&D department before teaming up in Minnesota in 2022.

Washington is one of 16 execs in The Athletic's compilation. Others hold leadership roles in the Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Commanders, Eagles, Lions, Panthers, Patriots, Rams, Texans and 49ers organizations.

Peep the entire list of ascending, non-player NFL stars here.

2 Vikings on All-Belichick Team

The ultimate flattery is recognition from somebody at the pinnacle of a profession.

Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots, so when he talks, people listen. The same can be said for when he makes a social media post spilling his 2024 All-Belichick squad.

That's to say digesters of football content tend to care what the dynastic leader thinks.

On Valentine's Day this year, Belichick, who by the way won two rings as an assistant for the Giants before his New England tenure, published his 17^th Instagram post – a lofty number for any 72-year-old.

This one was significant as it contained praise for Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard; both were included at the top of the depth chart at respective positions.

In his first season in Minnesota and fifth overall, Greenard paired a career-best 59 tackles with 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, 18 tackles for loss and 22 hits on the quarterback. He played 918 defensive snaps and was elected to his first Pro Bowl and finished 11^th in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Belichick rounded out his outside linebacker picks with L.A. Rams rookie Jared Verse behind Greenard and amended the opposite side with an "EDGE RUSH" labeling that featured in order Cleveland's Myles Garrett, Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson and ex-Viking and current Texans game-wrecker Danielle Hunter.

Jefferson, who recorded his third campaign of 100-plus receptions and 1,500-plus receiving yards in five tries this past season, was dubbed king of the "Z" receivers by Belichick, ahead of first-year Jacksonville star Brian Thomas, Jr., and Dallas veteran CeeDee Lamb. Belichick filled the "X" WR with Bengals triple-crown winner Ja'Marr Chase, Giants rookie Malik Nabers and Commanders threat Terry McLaurin.

The scribbles beneath Belichick's printed-out roster are challenging to decipher, but surely contain highly classified secrets … or at least the workings of his brain and construction of the 2024 All-Belichick Team.

Check it out – and please attempt reading his caption in his uniquely monotone voice – for yourself!