Top Salaries Free Agents Extensions Tools Best Values Transactions Chargers Kevin O'Connell Embed This Chargers, QB Age: 37-208d Exp: Years Drafted: Round 3 (#94 overall), 2008 College: San Diego State Agent (s): - More Chargers - Contract Details Transactions Statistics Transactions Sep 4 2011 Claimed off waivers by New York (NYJ) O'Connell worked on special projects with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, where he overlapped with Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. In addition to impacting the culture within the building through an emphasis on building connectivity across the roster, the Vikings installed O'Connell's offense with Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips, a defensive system led by Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell and changed their special teams under first-year coordinator Matt Daniels. So, ultimately, we didn't accomplish the goals we wanted to accomplish, and I always want to be respectful of that. So how will he balance the desire to maximize the benefits of the culture, keep the players who helped him implement it and improve on last season while dealing with the facts of life in a salary cap league? During the 2009 preseason, O'Connell was claimed by the Detroit Lions and was then later traded to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick. But Minnesota watched as Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Blaine Gabbert flew off the board. This year brings a different scenario. When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stepped up to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine, he had several questions to answer about the Minnesota Vikings future. View photos of new Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in photos from his time with the Rams. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell have only held their posts for a year, but they deserve the faith of the Vikings community. EAGAN, Minn. Eleven months and a day after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah helped introduce Kevin O'Connell from a temporary stage constructed in Twin . They want tostart every game, lead their team to the playoffs, win a Super Bowl, [but] a lot goes into what it takes to do that.. Adofo-Mensah shared an anecdote from after the game when he was walking the concourse behind a group of fans. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. Sep 9 2010 Resigned a 2 year $1.25 million contract with New York (NYJ) Aug 31 2010 Waived by New York (NYJ) Sep 6 2009 Traded to NYJ from Detroit for a conditional draft pick. I know this guy next to me and myself will lead and push and drive, because we don't want to feel this way, this early, ever again. When you have the receiver that leads the league in yards and receptions and have three other guys with 60-plus, you feel really strongly about that group, and I still think that theres places to go where we can build upon it even more, OConnell mentioned about Justin Jefferson and his wide receiving corps. Here are five things to know. At the end of the day Wednesday, the Vikings head coach left the building with one of the easier media sessions youll ever run across in the NFL. How do you go forward building it from here? The Vikings have not gone to the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2008-09. Youve got to ask yourself the question: Why?. All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com. The Vikings left the Zimmer-Spielman era in desperate need of improved morale. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on the futures of Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. The home runs and long ones are great, but as a play caller, Id love to be second-and-5. The survey of more than 1,300 players that looked at numerous aspects of an organization from facilities to treatment of families to training staff gave the Vikings the highest grade of any team in the NFL. The wait is over for Minnesota Vikings fans who were a bit . $36.25 million against its salary . 1 in other areas before hiring OConnell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, particularly with a different attitude toward players and increased focus on sports science in the training room. But this regime doesnt seem to be looking for a quarterback, theyre looking for the quarterback. But even if they do like mayo in their coffee, it seems like OConnell is bringing a thorough evaluation process to find their guy. The 33-year-old quarterback's $35 million base salary for 2022 became guaranteed last March . Pelissero noted that Brown, who interviewed for the Miami Dolphins head coaching position, is considered a "rising assistant" and is a candidate to replace O'Connell in Los Angeles. If I demand our team to improve in certain areas, OConnell said, Ive got to do the things we need to do as a staff.. In addition to helping QB Jared Goff to his fourth consecutive of at least 3,800 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2020, O'Connell prepared QB John Wolford for a win-and-in game against the Cardinals in Week 17, helping him pass for 231 yards and rush for 56 more in his NFL debut, while leading the Rams to a 18-7 victory and a playoff berth. O'Connell and the Rams are coming. The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year winner, Jefferson dominated opponents, generating 10 games over the 100-yard mark in O'Connell's first season in Minnesota. And in 2022, Cousins is scheduled to cost the Vikings $45 million on their salary cap. The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. And none of the endings feature everyone who was around last year. What he means to our league, how he carries himself, how he works every day. McCown also broke the single-game passing record in 2015, throwing for 457 yards against the Baltimore Ravens. "That's what led to a historic number of one-score games and so that's probably been the hardest job is adjusting to those things. Follow us for breaking news and latest updates. Also, by disabling these cookies you will also disable banner ads served by Google Adsense on this website.. For more information about these items, view our complete privacy policy.Read More. OConnell, though, sounded committed to making it work. He believes he's the best receiver in football -- I happen to agree with him -- and a lot goes with that. The Vikings officially. For O'Connell to coach Jefferson for a "really long time," the star receiver will need a contract extension. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. Coming off a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, O'Connell. KARE 11 Sports Director. If they want a quarterback in this draft, they seem willing to find a way to get them. Similarly to his GM one day earlier, the Vikings head coach couldnt make a strong statement about what the future would hold at QB. A lot of guys come in here and say they want to start in the NFL on Day 1. To say I'm excited about coaching Justin for a really long time is an understatement.". If you tell me Im second-and-5, here we go. On Wednesday, OConnell said hes hoping that their shared experience in 2022 will help both sides satisfy their needs. But Kevin O'Connell's comments later in the week made it sound like something bigger was in the works. It comes down to efficiency, he said. The victories and records set on the way to winning the NFC North for the first time since 2017 enabled Minnesota to host a playoff game for the first time in five years, but that excitement ended abruptly Sunday when the Giants topped the Vikings 31-24. [2] At La Costa Canyon, O'Connell lettered in both football and basketball. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. O'Connell coached QB Kirk Cousins in 2017, helping him throw for more than 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns, and record a career-high 342 rushing yards and a league-leading four game-winning drives. We haven't shown our ability to come in year-in, year-out and do those things. Under O'Connell, Rams quarterbacks have thrown for 1,517 passing yards (third in NFL), 11 touchdowns (fourth in NFL) and a 106.4 passer rating in playoff games (second in NFL). I believe in him as a player and was really proud of the way he played this year but we always have to be evaluating, he said. Jefferson's 4,825 career yards are the most in NFL history for a receiver in the first three years of a career. Vikings head coach Kevin OConnell provided a bit of clarity on Thielens status at the NFL Combine this week, touting the veterans leadership while hoping to mesh his pricetag with the fit in Minnesotas 2023 WR room. Brad Childress urged Minnesota to draft Tarvaris Jackson upon his arrival in the 2006, and then recruited Brett Favre as an act of desperation to lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. To provide the premier place to go to work and improve both personally and collectively as a team in our league means a lot to us, OConnell said. While they can feel reinforced by the results of the foundation laid in their first year, they also know a multitude of decisions await and all teams change from year to year. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. However, there is no mistaking the reality. O'Connell was waived by the Patriots on August 30, 2009, two days after a preseason game in which starting quarterback Tom Brady was injured, and, in the second half, O'Connell threw two interceptions and only threw 3 completions on 10 attempts. Thielen will turn 33 this summer and incur a $19.9 million cap hit against the Vikings salary cap. Doing so could mean some hard decisions on key contributors from last season like Dalvin Cook, Eric Kendricks, ZaDarius Smith and others. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. Kevin William O'Connell (born May 25, 1985), nicknamed " KOC ", [1] is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Some believe that is too rich for an aging playmaker and have subsequently speculated about Thielen's fate in 2023. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. Cousins is attached to a fully guaranteed $35MM base salary. In basketball, he was a two-year letterman, and a teammate of Arizona standout Chase Budinger. Ive spent a lot of time with Rob [Brzezinski] and Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah], and well continue to do that in anticipation of being at a certain place by the league year like we need to be and then, How do we go forward building it from there?. OConnell is well aware. The Lions traded O'Connell to the New York Jets, for a 7th round 2011 draft pick, on September 6, 2009. Quarterbacks are never far from OConnells mind. Adofo-Mensah admitted his elevation to GM brought him more exposure to the human elements than when he was advancing through the research-and-development departments with the 49ers and Browns. None of that means anything for what we do moving forward if we dont grow and evolve and change in a good capacity, OConnell said. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. He spent his childhood in Carlsbad, California, where he attended La Costa Canyon High School. "He is a strong leader, an innovative coach and an excellent communicator. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. At the 2008 NFL Combine, O'Connell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds; only University of San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson had a faster time. Use of any marks, trademarks, or logos on this website shall not constitute a sponsorship or endorsement by the trademark holder. My main goal was just to connect with him and build on a relationship that I thought was strong already. Kevin O'Connell: Vikings have 'some real decisions' ahead to get under salary cap By Alec Lewis Mar 1, 2023 14 INDIANAPOLIS Following his news conference Wednesday afternoon at the NFL. O'Connell played quarterback at San Diego State University, and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. The 2020 Rams offense featured the 10th-ranked rushing attack, posting 126.1 yards per game on the ground, behind two 600-plus rushing seasons from RB Cam Akers and RB Darrell Henderson. The Washington Commanders took Cousins in the []. The offensive coordinator from the 2022 Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O'Connell, is finalizing his head coaching contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Thielen joined the Vikings a decade ago as an undrafted special teamer and clawed his way up the depth chart to WR1 by the start of 2016. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and has written for Yahoo, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kansas City Star, among many other places. Different quarterbacks require different things around them but we know for sure that [Cousins] meets that threshold. So, well see what happens.. O'Connell was claimed off waivers by the Jets on September 4, 2011.[16]. Prior to joining the Rams, O'Connell worked in Washington, serving as the quarterbacks coach in 2017-18 and the offensive coordinator in 2019. None of that is to say OConnell is not evaluating quarterbacks in this years draft. "I came from a business where your job is to not be emotional and if you make emotional decisions, you typically make bad decisions. And I also want my opportunity to show that I can play at a high level. In other words, hes going to look in the store window at this years draft class because he always does, whether he is shopping or not. Anchored by T Andrew Whitworth, the oldest offensive lineman in the NFL, the Rams offensive line only allowed 56 sacks in the two years O'Connell was in Los Angeles, which was good for the seventh-fewest among NFL clubs. If Levis or Richardson is the type of quarterback that answers those questions, the Vikings will likely do their best to move up. 1. But the quarterback position, both the understanding of where that player truly is when you get a chance to start coaching him, and then what your plan is for that player moving forward.. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. I just watch the way he carries himself every single day and week. But the biggest question on everybodys mind was what they were going to do with Kirk Cousins. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Whatever the plan, timing is everything for the Vikings. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. O'Connell and the Rams are coming off a victory in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. O'Connell's NFL coaching career began in 2015; he held various assistant coaching roles on the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Los Angeles Rams (where he won Super Bowl LVI, as offensive coordinator, in the 20212022 season). Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 04:43, "Adam Thielen on KOC's lack of screaming: 'It's kind of almost awkward', "SDSU Aztecs Biography for Kevin O'Connell", "Offensive Evolution Under Long Has Come to Pass for the Aztecs", "Kevin O'Connell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile", "Kevin OConnell, San Diego State, QB, 2008 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football", "Lions have seven picks in upcoming draft", "Jets lose confidence in rookie running back Joe McKnight", "Jets release backup QB Mark Brunell, still waiting on Nnamdi Asomugha", "Jets awarded four players off waivers, including QB Kevin O'Connell; cut Aaron Maybin", "Chargers Notes: Former LCC, Aztecs QB O'Connell signed as emergency fill-in", "Kevin O'Connell hired to coach QBs as Browns round out offensive staff", "49ers adding O'Connell to offensive staff", "Kevin O'Connell will coach quarterbacks in Washington", "Redskins Promote Kevin O'Connell To Offensive Coordinator; Matt Cavanaugh Moves To Senior Offensive Assistant", "Kevin O'Connell amicably departs as Redskins hire Scott Turner as OC", "2021 Los Angeles Rams Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports", "Los Angeles Rams come back to win Super Bowl LVI 2320 in front of hometown crowd", "Minnesota Vikings Name Kevin O'Connell 10th Head Coach In Franchise History", "Minnesota Vikings officially hire 'innovative' Kevin O'Connell as new head coach", "Packers vs. Vikings - Box Score - September 11, 2020", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kevin_O%27Connell_(American_football)&oldid=1141660186, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 04:43. Kevin played the game at all levels, which gives him a unique connection to players, and he is highly respected throughout the league. Right. One of those decisions involves quarterback Kirk Cousins. Teams that typically played with one-high safety against most opponents often utilized two-high safeties against the Vikings. ", "Making sure that the standard of knowing we've got the culture, knowing we've got the right things going in this building," O'Connell said. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. While the survey is the ultimate feather in OConnells cap in terms of retaining players on long-term contracts and signing free agents, hes aware that not everyone is going to be able to return and the team doesn't have oodles of cap space to spend this offseason. The Vikings need to clear $23 million of 2023 salary to get under the cap. Following his All-Pro wideout's 1,809-yard, 128-catch, eight-touchdown campaign, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell believes Jefferson can soar even higher. My main goal was to connect with (Cousins) and build on a relationship, OConnell said. I think we laid a foundation for where we want to go. A significant part of the positive culture was OConnell and Cousins working together in lockstep. Were in a position to do a lot of different things regardless of field position, score of the game, personnel groupings.. INDIANAPOLIS If you walk around to different podiums and listen to NFL coaches speak to the media about their teams offseasons, you are likely to hear a lot about culture. O'Connell joins the Vikings after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Los A. The Vikings announced their agreement in principle with Cousins on a one-year contract extension Sunday the latest high-leverage deal that Cousins has successfully bet on himself with and the clearest sign yet that the Vikings aren . Those are all questions we got to answer. Passing, he ranked tenth in yardage, eighth in attempts, and seventh in completions. Eagan, Minn. (February 15, 2022) The Minnesota Vikings have named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history. An NFLPA survey showed the Vikings as the best team for players in the league, bringing evidence that the changes they promised worked out, gave the Vikings the highest grade of any team in the NFL. "Justin just had an incredible year, but what I liked about it the most was just the impactful plays at critical moments he made for our team, among a lot of our players," O'Connell said. [4] He was the Kai team quarterback in the 2008 Hula Bowl, where he led the offense and was one of the Kai team's only bright spots. [How do you] round him to make sure that you can win that way? Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whose size has been a matter of conjecture in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, officially measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds on Saturday. While some coaches chose not to attend this years combine, OConnell places considerable value on meeting players in person. Kevin O'Connell, fresh off a Super Bowl victory as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator, was introduced as the Minnesota Vikings next head coach on Thursday, and the big takeaway from . O'Connell's father, Bill, was a longtime FBI agent, and his mother, Suzanne, is a teacher. Thielen notched 716 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022. He takes it very seriously how much people and young kids look up to him. He called conversations ongoing about Cousinss future. Is it to that line?' Florida's Anthony Richardson, one of the draft's most intriguing QB prospects, told reporters on Friday that in high school he modeled his game after two notable passers: Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson. So theres not one right way.. [4][5] At SDSU, where he was a four-year team captain, he started 21 games, the sixth-most among SDSU quarterbacks, and 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. Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. During the 2018 season, O'Connell was tasked with getting three different quarterbacks (Josh Johnson, Colt McCoy and Mark Sanchez) up to speed following a devastating injury to starting QB Alex Smith. He's McVay's second coordinator in two years to move on, joiningformer Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who is now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Right comes along. Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in Photos, Kevin OConnell Brings Energy, Innovation as Vikings New Head Coach, 5 Things to Know About New Vikings Head Coach Kevin OConnell. The more I can educate myself, learning about the details and particulars of our current situation, our previous situation, and obviously what it looks like moving forward, the more my conversations can be not only from an accurate place of where we are at this moment but where we hope to get to, OConnell said. "Like [O'Connell] said in his final meeting, 'It's supposed to hurt. The process was complicated by the lack of free agency and offseason movement due to the NFLs player lockout. You do hope it was a perfect world where you can have everybody and have everybody finish their careers where they should and feel great about it, but its just so hard to do and still build for the future the way the rules are set up, OConnell said. Coming off a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, O'Connell joins the Vikings after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams the past two seasons. [29]. Since then, there have been postseason appearances after the 2012 (loss in Wild Card), 2015 (loss in Wild Card), 2017 (loss in NFC Championship), 2019 (loss in Divisional) and 2022 (loss in Wild Card) seasons. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. I think the priority first and foremost is giving him time to evaluate our roster with our young players and some of our veteran players and see how pieces may fit, OConnell said. "Now, we've got to all the last phase of that is the accountability to each other, to make sure that that standard is championship worthy, and we're putting ourselves in that conversation to a man and to a woman in this building that we're looking at each other and asking ourselves the question, 'With everything we do, is it championship worthy? The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. [13] The injury required surgery. Try a week on us. I'm sure a lot of fans will be going through that right now, and that hurts to hear, I can't lie, but I understand where that's coming from. O'Connell compared Cousins to Matthew Stafford, calling each an "elite thrower," via Tomasson (on Twitter ). Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II is the early leader for fastest player at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine after posting a time of 4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash on Friday. But after a year on the bench, Culpepper took the Vikings into the next decade before suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in 2005. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. O'Connell, 36, was a third-round pick . Under the guidance of O'Connell, Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp both had a career years in 2021. 5. Prior to his one year in San Francisco, O'Connell was the quarterbacks coach in Cleveland during the 2015 season, assisting QB Josh McCown to becoming the only player in team history to throw for 300 or more passing yards in three consecutive games. O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah have emphasized collaboration throughout their first year together, and the first-time head coach picked up where the first-time GM left off: "As I told our team it's supposed to sting. Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson is "fired up" to work with Washington's new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. (OConnell is 6-foot-5, so his frame provides a solid comparison.). Kevin William O'Connell (born May 25, 1985), nicknamed "KOC",[1] is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). 2. Kevin will tease me about that sometimes. Aug 30 2009 Released by New England. Vikings fans should be excited for the future of this team under Kevin's direction. The rushing attack. As a player, O'Connell was drafted in the third round (94th pick) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots out of San Diego State. The offensive line's sack rate, 4.5%, was the fifth-lowest in the NFL over the past two years. Stafford set the single-season team record for passing yards (4,886) and tied Kurt Warner from his 1999 MVP season for the most passing touchdowns in a season with 41, while also winning his first playoff game in his 13th season in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings named Kevin O'Connell as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Feb. 16, 2022. . 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 in the Wild Card round by a final score of 3124. Craig Peters.

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