Kevin O'Connell

Kevin O'Connell is a professional football coach and former quarterback who serves as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. O'Connell played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and spent five seasons as a player in the NFL. He was drafted in the third round (94th pick) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Early in his playing career, O'Connell recognized a strong interest in coaching.

Before becoming a head coach, O'Connell held assistant coaching positions with the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Los Angeles Rams. In Washington, he served as quarterbacks coach and later as offensive coordinator, working with quarterback Kirk Cousins, who surpassed 4,000 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in a season and led the league in game-winning drives. With the Los Angeles Rams under head coach Sean McVay, O'Connell contributed to the development of quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp, with Stafford setting the single-season team record for passing yards and tying the franchise record for passing touchdowns. The Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory further established O'Connell's reputation as a leading offensive strategist in the NFL.

O'Connell was named the 10th head coach in Minnesota Vikings history after serving as the Rams' offensive coordinator. In his first season, he led the Vikings to 13 wins, the most by any first-year head coach in franchise history, and secured a division title. The team matched an NFL record with 10 comeback wins, including overcoming a 33-point halftime deficit against the Colts, the largest comeback in NFL history. In his second season, O'Connell managed four different starting quarterbacks due to injuries and became the 11th head coach in NFL history to lead a team to three consecutive victories with three different starting quarterbacks.

In his third season, despite losing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to injury, the Vikings saw veteran quarterback Sam Darnold throw a career-high 35 touchdown passes. O'Connell guided the team to a 14-3 regular-season record and a playoff appearance, marking the second-most wins in team history. He became the first head coach since at least 1950 to win at least 14 games in a season with a quarterback in his first year with the team. Over three seasons, O'Connell achieved a 34-17 regular-season record and became the first head coach in Vikings history to record multiple 13-win seasons, joining Matt LaFleur and George Seifert as the only head coaches in NFL history to accomplish this in their first three years.

O'Connell was voted AP NFL Coach of the Year and was also recognized by the Pro Football Writers Association as Head Coach of the Year. He signed a multi-year contract extension with the Vikings. O'Connell is noted for his commitment to community involvement and advocacy for childhood cancer, participating in the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative to support pediatric cancer research.