The Jacksonville Jaguars randomly developed interest in Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell this past weekend, but it appears they won’t even get a chance to speak with him. According to multiple reports, he’s expected to land with the Minnesota Vikings after the Super Bowl to become their new head coach.
The #Vikings are zeroing in on #Rams OC Kevin O’Connell as their head coach, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The deal can’t be finalized until after the Super Bowl.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 3, 2022
The Jags didn’t have O’Connell on their initial list of candidates to interview and missed out on the early postseason window to speak with him. As a result, they needed the Los Angeles Rams to lose this weekend to even get a chance to speak with him, but even with that being the case, their chances seemed low to land him as the Vikings, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans all spoke with him.
O’Connell worked with Jags general manager Trent Baalke his last season with the San Francisco 49ers (2016) as the former was a special projects assistant and the latter had his current title. Baalke has had a hard time finding coaches willing to work with him due to his reputation and it’s made the Jags search the most puzzling in the league. That said, it seems he wanted to take a swing at a familiar face, though it’s unknown how O’Connell viewed the Jags’ opening.
It’s possible O’Connell’s situation could speed things up for the Jags, as they’ve been looking for a coach for over a month. It appears Doug Pederson may be the front-runner after getting a second interview this week, according to multiple reports. Additionally, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said he believes the former Philly Eagles coach could be looking to link up with former Minnesota executive Rick Spielman, who interviewed with the Jags this week, too.
Byron Leftwich, who is a fan favorite, could still be in the mix, too. However, with Spielman having some familiarity with Pederson (sharing the same agent), most think they have a better chance of being the newest additions to the team.