Patrick Joseph O'Connor (born November 1, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

College career

O'Connor recorded 42

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and 8.5 sacks as a senior playing for

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

. He recorded 166 total tackles and 20 sacks primarily playing the

position in college, and was noted for his work ethic. He was named to the All-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

team in 2016.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

The

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

selected O’Connor in the seventh round with the 250th overall pick in the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

. On May 12, 2017, the Lions signed O'Connor to a four-year, $2.46 million contract with a signing bonus of $64,270. He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Lions'

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. He was released by the team on September 13, 2017.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 9, 2017, O'Connor was signed to the

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 29, 2017. On September 1, 2018, O'Connor was waived by the Buccaneers and was re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on December 31, 2018. On September 2, 2019, O'Connor was waived by the Buccaneers and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 24, 2019. In Week 14 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

in 2020, O'Connor recorded his first career sack on

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...

during the 26–14 win. O'Connor played in all four games in the Buccaneers' playoff run that resulted in the team winning

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

. O'Connor was given an

exclusive-rights free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

tender by the Buccaneers on March 9, 2021. He entrenched himself as a core special teams player for the Buccaneers in 2021. He suffered a knee injury in Week 15 and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 21. On March 15, 2022, the Buccaneers announced they would not tender O'Conner. On April 12, 2022, the Buccaneers re-signed O'Connor to a one-year contract. On August 29, 2023, O'Connor was released by the Buccaneers and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 20. He was released on October 31 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 1.

References

External links

Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioEastern Michigan Eagles bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Pat 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Chicago American football defensive ends Eastern Michigan Eagles football players Detroit Lions players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players