Kevin O’Connell has one more game to prepare for, and then a big decision to make.
The Rams’ offensive coordinator is reportedly the choice candidate to be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, who also twice interviewed Los Angeles defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
O’Connell and the NFC champion Rams play the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.
The 36-year-old is not allowed to accept the job until the game is over by NFL mandate. Harbaugh, according to The Athletic, was not offered the job after an all-day interview Wednesday.
O’Connell has served under Sean McVay as offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Prior to that job, he was offensive coordinator in Washington, where he coached quarterbacks in 2017 when the starter was Kirk Cousins, now Minnesota’s QB.
McVay coaches against one of his former assistants in the Super Bowl next week, and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had training very similar to O’Connell’s before he landed the job in Cincinnati.
“The joke is if you have a cup of coffee with Sean McVay, you’re going to be a head coach in the NFL. … There’s a lot of truth to that,” Taylor said Monday.
O’Connell is not the primary play-caller for the Rams — McVay holds the call sheet and wears the headset speaking to quarterback Matthew Stafford’s earpiece. O’Connell would be a stark contrast to the last Vikings head coach, defensive-minded Mike Zimmer, who was fired after the 2021 season.
Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman oversaw the Vikings’ 8-9 season in 2021. Zimmer was 72-56-1 as Minnesota’s head coach.
–Field Level Media
