Kevin O'Connell (American Football)
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Kevin William O'Connell (born May 25, 1985), nicknamed "KOC", is an American professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
coach and former
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who is the
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). O'Connell played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
San Diego State Aztecs The San Diego State Aztecs are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). The university fields 17 varsity teams (6 men's, 11 women's) in National Collegiate Athle ...
from 2004 to 2007 and in the NFL for five seasons from 2008 to 2012, with his longest tenure (2009–2011) as a player with the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
. O'Connell was born in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. His father, Bill, was an FBI agent, and the family lived in
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, New York, and
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He attended high school in
Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is north of downtown San Diego and south of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of ...
, at La Costa Canyon High School. After graduation from high school in 2004, O'Connell enrolled at
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
and played quarterback for the Aztecs, starting for three seasons. The
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
selected O'Connell in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played 5 years as a quarterback in the NFL, with New England in 2008, 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
in 2009, the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
from 2009 to 2011, the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
and the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
in 2012. From 2013 to 2014, while just retiring from the NFL, O'Connell served as a private instructor for quarterbacks. O'Connell's NFL coaching career began in 2015; he held various assistant coaching roles on the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
,
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
,
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
, and
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
(where he won Super Bowl LVI as
offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...
, in the 2020–2021 season). Immediately afterward, O'Connell signed a deal as head coach of the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
, where he led the team to the NFC North division title in his first season with the franchise, and made the postseason in two out of the first three seasons as head coach. In 2025, O'Connell was also honored as the 2024 AP NFL Coach of the Year.


Early life and education

Born in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
, on May 25, 1985, O'Connell is the son of Suzanne and Bill O'Connell, a former
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agent. Bill O'Connell played football for
Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...
in Villanova, a western suburb of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. During O'Connell's childhood, while his dad worked in the FBI, Kevin and his older sister Kelly, moved around frequently with their dad's work. Kevin was born in
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, the family moved to New York in 1990, and eventually to
Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is north of downtown San Diego and south of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of ...
up the coast about 35 miles from
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. Kevin moved from
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
to
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
while he was in
middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...
, before moving on to La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad. He lettered in both football and basketball in high school. In football as a junior, he passed for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player and selected to All-League, All-North County, and All-San Diego teams. In basketball, he was a two-year letterman, and a teammate of
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
standout player, Chase Budinger. O'Connell graduated from La Costa Canyon High School in 2003. O'Connell graduated from
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
in December 2007 with a degree in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
.


College playing career


2003 and 2004 seasons

On February 1, 2003, O'Connell committed to play football for Tom Craft's
San Diego State Aztecs football The San Diego State Aztecs football team is the college football program that represents San Diego State University (SDSU). The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, FBS) as a member of the Mountain West ...
team. He came to San Diego State as "a player we can build the offensive class around" according to Craft. As a true freshman in 2003, O'Connell, age 18, and sophomore Matt Dlugolecki were backups to Adam Hall who was coming off a strong junior season in 2002. Craft stated, "With a senior quarterback, the logical step is to redshirt Kevin O'Connell. But we are not going to define the situation until we see everyone in August." When Hall was injured during the regular season, Craft began to dress O'Connell during games, but not play O'Connell, but rather to get him used to traveling and dressing with the team. O'Connell did not see any game action in 2003, registered no statistics, and retained four years of eligibility under the NCAA's
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...
rule. O'Connell performed well in the annual spring game in March 2004, but Dlugolecki was named the starting quarterback during the spring. While O'Connell was touted as the team's "stronger armed quarterback," he spent the 2004 season as San Diego State's No. 2 quarterback behind Dlugolecki. In the season opener against I-AA Idaho State, O'Connell threw his first career touchdown pass. Dlugolecki started 7 games, getting injured in the 7th game, promoting O'Connell's first start. In his first collegiate start, O'Connell led the Aztecs to a 19–9 loss to a
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
team that finished second in the
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...
and was led by DonTrell Moore. O'Connell completed 16 of 32 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. In his second start, the Aztecs lost to a No. 9
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
team that finished the season ranked No. 4 and No. 5 in both the AP and Coaches polls respectively. The following week, the Aztecs were blown out by the BYU Cougars, 49–16. After the loss to BYU, O'Connell led San Diego State to victories over
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
(37–31) and
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...
(21–3). O'Connell completed 33 of 69 passes for 407 yards with 3 touchdowns in those games.


2005 season

In the spring of 2005, O'Connell was in a three-way competition for San Diego State's starting quarterback job. 2004's returning starter Matt Dluglocecki was returning from injury, and redshirt freshman, Darren Mougey was expected to make a push for playing time. In April 2005, Craft said, "We want to make the decision early, hopefully in the first week of practice. It will be an open three-way battle. We just want to make the decision early so we can be ready for our game against
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
. We'll stay with one guy, unlike last year." In the 2005 spring game, O'Connell didn't participate due to his recovery from shoulder surgery, and gave Dluglocecki, Mougey and Kevin Craft opportunities to take all of the repetitions. After fall practice, Tom Craft announced his depth chart with O'Connell as his No. 1 quarterback. O'Connell was the starting quarterback in all 12 games for the 2005 San Diego State Aztecs football team that compiled a 5–7 record. On September 24, 2005, O'Connell had a career-high four touchdown passes in a 52–21 victory over San Jose State. After the game, O'Connell was asked for his reaction to offense improving and responded, "We were able to do some big things. We're going to try to take what we leaned from the first four games and apply it for the rest of the season." On October 15, 2005, O'Connell led the Aztecs to a 28–19 upset victory over a
Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans in the Unite ...
team that was led by Brian Johnson. O'Connell completed 17 of 23 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. In his first match up against a No. 20 TCU team that finished the season ranked No. 11 and No. 9 in both the AP and Coaches polls, 23–20. O'Connell threw a game-high 235 yards, two interceptions, and a rushing touchdown and passing touchdown. In the final three games of the 2005 regular season, O'Connell completed 63 of 102 passes for 802 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. For the season as a whole, he completed 233 of 375 passes for 2,663 yards, 19 touchdowns and twelve interceptions. Following the conclusion of the season, Tom Craft was relived of his duties as head coach.


2006 season

In the spring of 2006, O'Connell was in a three-way competition for San Diego State's starting quarterback job again. When new head coach Chuck Long was appointed the head coach, he wanted to see what he had between the three quarterbacks. The 2006 competition pitted O'Connell against sophomores Mongey and Kevin Craft. In April 2006, Long said, "It felt that way today. His experience definitely showed up today, and I thought he commanded well all game. Kevin Craft and Darren (Mougey) had their moments as well, but you could sense (O'Connell's) experience. He had a nice day." In the 2006 spring game, O'Connell impressed observers as he completed 15 of 26 passes for 155 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Long said after fall camp, "Kevin O'Connell's had a great, great camp. He had a nice drive today. He's our captain and he'll go in number one, and we're going to practice that way. Darren Mougey and Kevin Craft both played well today and that's what you want - a healthy competition." In his first start of the season, O'Connell and the Aztecs lost 34–27 a UTEP Miners team that was led by Jordan Palmer. In the first half of the game, O'Connell left with a
thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
injury. He would miss the next six games after undergoing thumb surgery. In relief of starting quarterback, Kevin Craft, O'Connell lead the Aztecs to a victory over
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...
. O'Connell rushed for a touchdown on his first drive and finished the game, completing all 7 passes he attempted for 68 yards. O'Connell reclaimed his starting position with the team the next game. After the win against UNLV, O'Connell and the Aztecs suffered losses to TCU (52–0) and
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
(41–14). O'Connell completed 29 of 55 passes for 325 yards in those games. In the final game of the season, a 17–6 win to Colorado State, closing out a 3–9 season for the Aztecs. O'Connell finished the season moving into 7th place all-time for the Aztecs.


2007 season

In 2007, his final season at San Diego State, O'Connell started all 12 games at quarterback for the 2007 San Diego State Aztecs football team that compiled an 4–8 record. For the first time in his college career, he entered the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback. In the fifth game of the season, O'Connell led San Diego State to a 52–17 victory over Portland State. O'Connell completed 19 of 31 passes for career-highs with 443 yards and five touchdowns. For the season, O'Connell completed 257 of 439 passes for 3,063 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He was named Second Team All-Mountain West. O'Connell was a four-year team captain, he started 33 games. That is the sixth-most among SDSU quarterbacks, and O'Connell ranked first in school history in career rushing yards and second in career rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks. In 2007, he led the team in rushing yards. In passing, O'Connell ranked tenth in yardage, eighth in attempts, and seventh in completions.


Statistics


Professional playing career


Pre-draft

O'Connell played in both the 2008 Hula Bowl and the 2008 East-West Shrine Game. He was the Kai team quarterback in the 2008 Hula Bowl, leading the offense and was one of the Kai team's only bright spots. O'Connell was 11-of-21 for 147 yards and completed the pass which resulted in the Kai's only score of the game. At the 2008
NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
, O'Connell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds; only
University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...
quarterback Josh Johnson had a faster time among quarterbacks.


New England Patriots

The
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
selected O'Connell with their fourth pick (94th overall) in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. During the 2008 season; playing under head coach Bill Belichick, O'Connell rushed for a touchdown in the 2008 preseason against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
in the fourth quarter, in a game the Patriots eventually lost 19–14. O'Connell made his NFL debut on September 21, 2008, in the fourth quarter against the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
, throwing his first four career passes and completing three. On December 21, in a 47–7 victory over the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
, O'Connell completed 1 of 2 passes (50%) for -2 yards and rushed 3 times for -6 yards. Going into the 2009 season, O'Connell was competing with veteran quarterback Andrew Walter, signed after his release from the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, and undrafted free agent rookie
Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league hi ...
of
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
, for the backup position behind
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
. In an August 20 game against the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
, O'Connell completed 9 of 16 passes for 90 yards. In the third preseason game in the second half, O'Connell threw two
interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
s and only threw three completions on 10 attempts. Two days later, on August 30, the Patriots waived O'Connell.


Detroit Lions

O'Connell was claimed off waivers by 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
on September 1, 2009. O'Connell appeared in the Lions final preseason game, but saw minimal playing time.


New York Jets (first stint)

On September 6, 2009, the Lions traded O'Connell to the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
for a seventh round 2011 draft pick. He was named a team captain for the September 20 game against the New England Patriots. On August 31, 2010, New York released O'Connell. O'Connell then found that he had a torn labrum in his throwing arm, an injury he had received during the preseason, which required surgery. After his release, the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
re-signed O'Connell to a two-year deal. He had been on the injured reserve list and was later released again on July 29, 2011.


Miami Dolphins

On August 5, 2011, O'Connell signed with the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
but was waived on September 3.


New York Jets (second stint)

O'Connell was claimed off waivers by the Jets on September 4, 2011.


San Diego Chargers

O'Connell was signed by the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
on July 29, 2012, to be an emergency back-up during the Chargers' practices with
Charlie Whitehurst Charles David Whitehurst Jr. (born August 6, 1982), is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, and was selected by the San D ...
suffering an injury and
Kyle Boller Kyle Bryan Boller (born June 17, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he was selected by the Balti ...
having recently retired. He was released on August 12.


Career statistics


Coaching career


Cleveland Browns

After spending the previous two years as a private quarterbacks coach in Carlsbad, California with clients including
Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992), nicknamed "Johnny Football", is an American former football quarterback. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. He played prof ...
,
Logan Thomas Logan Lamont Thomas Sr. (born July 1, 1991) is an American professional American football, football tight end. He was the starting quarterback while playing college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies football, Virginia Tech Hokies in the earl ...
,
Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks footb ...
, and
Bryce Petty Bryce William Petty (born May 31, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was selected by the New York Jets in t ...
, it was announced on February 17, 2015, that O'Connell was hired as the quarterbacks coach of the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. That began his full-time coaching career and reunited him with
Mike Pettine Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an American football coach who is the assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Cleveland Br ...
, who was the defensive coordinator for the Jets during O'Connell's stint as a player there, as well as Manziel, who was a client of O’Connell’s prior to the 2014 NFL Draft.


San Francisco 49ers

O'Connell was hired to the offensive staff of the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
on February 26, 2016.


Washington Redskins

On January 20, 2017, O'Connell was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
under head coach
Jay Gruden Jay Michael Gruden (born March 4, 1967) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He previously served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2019 and as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and Jackson ...
. In 2019, with Bill Callahan as the interim head coach, O'Connell was promoted to offensive coordinator. After the 2019–20 regular season, he was not retained by incoming new head coach
Ron Rivera Ronald Eugene Rivera (born January 7, 1962) is an American football executive and former professional player and coach who is the general manager for the California Golden Bears. He played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as ...
.


Los Angeles Rams

On January 16, 2020, O'Connell was hired by the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
to be their new offensive coordinator. In his second season with the Rams, their offense ranked second-best in receiving touchdowns (41), fifth-highest in total yards (4,893), and eighth-best in total touchdowns (63) as the team won Super Bowl LVI against the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
23–20.


Minnesota Vikings

On February 16, 2022, just three days after winning Super Bowl LVI, O'Connell was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as the 10th head coach in their franchise history. The hiring reunited him with quarterback
Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Mi ...
, whom O'Connell had coached in 2017 (Cousins' final year with the Washington Redskins). O'Connell won his first game as head coach against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the 2022 season by a score of 23–7. O'Connell led the Vikings to a 13–4 record on the season, tying
Matt LaFleur Matthew Robert LaFleur ( ; born November 3, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has served as the quarterback coach of the W ...
and
Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...
for the second-most wins for a rookie head coach in NFL history, which included an 11–0 record in games decided by one score, including the biggest comeback in NFL history. The Vikings won the NFC North for the first time since 2017, which was good enough for the NFC's third seed, but were defeated by the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
in the Wild Card round by a score of 31–24. In
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, the Vikings regressed, losing the first three games of the season, then losing Kirk Cousins for the year due to an Achilles injury in a Week 8 tilt against the Packers. Despite a surprising pair of wins under freshly acquired quarterback
Joshua Dobbs Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, and was selected by the Pitt ...
, the Vikings lost six of their last seven games to finish the year with a 7–10 record, the only win in that stretch being a 3–0 victory over the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...
. After Kirk Cousins left the Vikings for the Atlanta Falcons after the season, O'Connell worked closely with veteran free agent quarterback
Sam Darnold Sam Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans football, USC Trojans, winn ...
and rookie first round pick J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 off-season. A preseason knee injury to McCarthy complicated the team's plans for quarterback progression, leading to Darnold becoming the sole starter for
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. O'Connell guided the Vikings to a 14–3 record, the second most wins in franchise history, with both Darnold and newly acquired running back Aaron Jones registering career highs in passing and rushing yards, respectively. However, due to a Week 18 loss to 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, the Vikings became the first 14-win team to settle for a Wild Card round berth, finishing second in the NFC North. In the Wild Card round, O'Connell matched up against his former mentor
Sean McVay Sean Patrick McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He became the youngest NFL head coach in the modern era when he was hired ...
for a second time. The Vikings would lose to the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
27–9 in a game played at
State Farm Stadium State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. It replaced Sun Devi ...
in Arizona due to the wildfires in southern California. Including the postseason, all four of the 2024 Vikings' losses came at the hands of the Lions and Rams. On January 21, 2025, O'Connell signed a contract extension with the Vikings. Two days later, he was honored by the
Pro Football Writers Association The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...
as the 2024 Head Coach of the Year. On February 6, 2025, O'Connell was also honored as the AP NFL Coach of the Year.


Head coaching record


Personal life

O'Connell and his wife, Leah, have four children: Kaden, Quinn, Kolten, and Callie. He is a parishioner at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, Minnesota. O'Connell has spoken about "hope and faith" as important things relating to leadership in the NFL, and that his faith in Christ has "defined everything" about how he deals with adversity.


References


External links


Minnesota Vikings profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnell, Kevin 1985 births Living people American football quarterbacks Cleveland Browns coaches Detroit Lions players Los Angeles Rams coaches Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Vikings head coaches NFL offensive coordinators New England Patriots players New York Jets players Players of American football from Knoxville, Tennessee San Diego State Aztecs football players San Francisco 49ers coaches Players of American football from Carlsbad, California Washington Redskins coaches San Diego Chargers players La Costa Canyon High School alumni Coaches of American football from Tennessee NFL Coach of the Year winners