Tag: kevin oconnell

Rams’ Raheem Morris and Kevin O’Connell are finalists to be Vikings’ head coach

Raheem Morris and Kevin O’Connell are conducting their second interviews for the Vikings’ head coaching job this week.

The Super Bowl is going to be between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, pitting Sean McVay against one of his former assistants in Zac Taylor. With the success that McVay and his former coordinators have had in the NFL, it’s no secret that teams are clamoring to hire those on his staff as their head coach.

Among the head coaching vacancies that have yet to be determined, the Minnesota Vikings are expressing a ton of interest in the Rams’ two coordinators: Raheem Morris and Kevin O’Connell. After hiring Kweso Adofo-Mensah as their new general manager, Morris and O’Connell are considered named finalists for Minnesota’s head coaching job, according to NFL Network.

The only team to request an interview with Morris, at least thus far, is the Vikings. Morris has previous experience as a head coach when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011 and he was the interim coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

Given the success that the defense of the Rams have had under Morris — just one year after Brandon Staley left — teams are likely intrigued by the idea of him getting another opportunity to be a head coach.

Meanwhile, O’Connell has been drumming up interest around the league as McVay’s offensive coordinator. O’Connell was a finalist for the head coaching job for the Denver Broncos before they hired Nathaniel Hackett, the Houston Texans are hoping to conduct a second interview with him soon, and the Jacksonville Jaguars want a first interview with him, but they’ll need to wait until after the Super Bowl to do so.

Besides Morris and O’Connell, the other finalist for the Vikings’ head coaching job appears to be Demeco Ryans, the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. While the Rams prepare to face the Bengals in the Super Bowl, it appears likely that Los Angeles could be losing at least one of their assistants yet again.

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Jaguars botch chance to interview Kevin O’Connell, now have to wait until after Super Bowl

The Jaguars botched their chance to interview Kevin O’Connell, and will now have to wait until after the Super Bowl to meet with him

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the mistake of hiring Urban Meyer as their head coach last offseason, and their search for his replacement isn’t going much better. They’ve identified Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as a head coaching candidate but they have yet to interview him.

And because they dragged their feet on putting in a request to meet with O’Connell, they now have to wait until after the Super Bowl to interview him. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Jaguars wanted to interview O’Connell but can’t yet because they didn’t put in an interview request in the initial period.

O’Connell is considered a finalist for the Vikings’ head coaching job, and the Texans have already interviewed him too. The Jaguars are being left behind in their pursuit of the Rams’ 36-year-old coordinator, and it could cost them a chance to hire him.

The Vikings will meet with O’Connell (and Raheem Morris) for a second time before the Jaguars even get a chance to interview him for the first time.

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Kevin O’Connell to interview with Jaguars, is finalist for Vikings job

Kevin O’Connell will interview with the Jaguars for their head coaching job and is also a finalist for the Vikings’ opening

Kevin O’Connell didn’t land the Broncos’ head coaching job after being considered a finalist, but he still has other options. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Vikings have requested to interview O’Connell for their head coaching vacancy. He’s considered a “key candidate” in Jacksonville’s search, as Rapoport put it.

The Jaguars hope to interview O’Connell in person as early as Monday if the Rams lose to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. If they advance to the Super Bowl, they’ll have to wait a bit longer to speak with him.

Additionally, Tom Pelissero has reported that O’Connell is a finalist for the Vikings’ job, as well as a top candidate for the Texans’ opening. So as of this moment, he still has his suitors after missing out on the Broncos.

O’Connell has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator since 2020 after previously holding the same position in Washington. He and the Rams have had plenty of success on offense this season, ranking seventh in scoring and ninth in total yards.

Texans interviewed Rams OC Kevin O’Connell for head coaching job

The Texans interviewed Kevin O’Connell, who they’re targeting for their head coaching job

Kevin O’Connell wasn’t hired by the Denver Broncos as their next head coach after being a finalist for the job, but he’s still not certain to return to the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings and Texans are still interested in the Rams offensive coordinator.

According to Adam Schefter, the Texans interviewed O’Connell for their head coaching job sometime in the last week. He’s one of the candidates for Houston’s vacancy as the Texans continue to interview contenders for the job.

O’Connell, 36, has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator for the last two seasons after holding the same position in Washington. He worked closely with both Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford this season, which yielded great results for the Rams offense.

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Broncos pass on Kevin O’Connell, will hire Nathaniel Hackett as next head coach

The Broncos are passing on Kevin O’Connell, who was a finalist for their head coaching job. They’re hiring Nathaniel Hackett instead.

Kevin O’Connell, the 36-year-old offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, has received multiple interviews for head coaching jobs and was a finalist for the Denver Broncos in their coaching search. The keyword from above is ‘was’ as the Broncos have knocked down the first domino of the coaching hires. They are finalizing a deal to make Nathaniel Hackett their next head coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

According to multiple reports, the three finalists for the Broncos’ vacant head coaching job were O’Connell, Hackett, and Dan Quinn. While Quinn brings previous head coaching experience, Denver likely wanted someone that was an offensive-minded coach after falling flat with Vic Fangio at the helm.

I won’t be the first or last person to suggest that the Broncos hired Hackett to try and persuade Aaron Rodgers to request a trade to Denver. Hackett has been the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers for the past three seasons.

With Hackett being hired by the Broncos, we might actually see an assistant (O’Connell) under Sean McVay stay multiple years. That being said, O’Connell also interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings thus far, so the door isn’t closed for him to get a head coaching gig this offseason.

The Houston Texans also requested an interview with O’Connell, but he has yet to officially conduct that interview. There’s a chance that O’Connell wants to avoid the Texans after they fired David Culley just one year after hiring him – despite him exceeding expectations in a tumultuous environment.

Only time will tell if O’Connell returns as the offensive coordinator for the Rams next season.

Kevin O’Connell is a finalist for Broncos’ head coaching job

Kevin O’Connell is a finalist for the Broncos’ head coaching job, battling two others for the position

Sean McVay has seen coaching assistants come and go during his five years as the Rams’ head coach, and this offseason isn’t likely to be any different. Kevin O’Connell, Raheem Morris and Thomas Brown have all emerged as head coaching candidates, landing interviews with other teams as they search for replacements to lead their coaching staffs.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, O’Connell is considered a finalist for the Broncos’ head coaching position. The other two finalists are Dan Quinn and Nathaniel Hackett.

“The Broncos have narrowed their head coaching search. This kind of kicks into gear,” he said Monday. “Expect them to do some second interviews. I’m told their finalists are Dan Quinn, Kevin O’Connell from the Los Angeles Rams – really good offensive coordinator – and Nathaniel Hackett, the OC from the Green Bay Packers.”

O’Connell is in his second season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, coming over to Los Angeles after holding the same position with Washington in 2019. He’s not the Rams’ play caller – that job is held by McVay – but he does work closely with Matthew Stafford and McVay on Sundays and throughout the week.

Just 36 years old, O’Connell is a bright offensive mind who’s certainly on a path to a head coaching job at some point in the future, if not this year.

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Sean McVay not worried about interviews causing Rams assistants to lose focus on playoffs

Rams assistants are interviewing for head coaching jobs, but Sean McVay doesn’t think that’ll take away from their focus on the playoffs

It’s a big week for the Los Angeles Rams, specifically for a few of their assistant coaches. Raheem Morris and Kevin O’Connell have drawn a lot of interest from other teams in their searches for a new head coach, landing interviews with several other organizations.

O’Connell has interviews with the Broncos on Thursday night and the Vikings on Friday, while the Texans are also setting up a meeting at some point soon. Morris is also interviewing with the Vikings on Friday, two days before the Rams face the Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Running backs coach Thomas Brown also lined up an interview with the Dolphins for their head coaching job, but it’s unclear when that is scheduled for.

They’re obviously focused on the task at hand, which is beating the defending Super Bowl champions, but they’ll also have an eye on the biggest interviews of their lives – and understandably so.

Sean McVay knows O’Connell and Morris be thinking about the interviews in addition to preparing for the Buccaneers, but he doesn’t expect it to take away from their focus on Tampa Bay.

“I really believe that I think you can do a great job of preparing yourself to go show well in these interviews, while also doing a great job being thorough with your preparation, getting your players ready to go, and your roles and responsibilities within the framework of kind of how we put together the game plan,” he said Wednesday. “What I think’s naive is, ‘Oh, I’m not going to think about it.’ Of course you’re going to think about it if you have this unique opportunity. And so, I think talking about some of the experiences I had – it’s even a little bit different now based on just the implementation of being able to meet with people on Zoom and things of that nature. So, I know I was so fortunate at an early age to be able to get an opportunity to compete for these roles and what a hypocrite I would be if didn’t try to say, ‘Hey, listen, go compete to the best of your ability. If that’s a goal that you have, go shoot your shot and make sure that, hey, if I can help in any form or fashion, I’m happy to do that.’”

McVay has always been happy to see his coordinators and assistant coaches get opportunities elsewhere, and there have been plenty of them to leave the Rams for other jobs. Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur and Brandon Staley all went on to land head coaching jobs after working on McVay’s staff, and O’Connell and Morris could be next in line – as could Brown.

Having been through this process before with coaches interviewing during the playoffs, McVay doesn’t expect it to affect this postseason run.

“They also know what their roles are given the week and what we have at stake,” he continued. “And so, when I went through this with different coaches before, I didn’t think it in the least bit took away from Zac Taylor’s ability to prepare going into his Super Bowl when he kind of knew he was going to become the Bengals’ head coach. Staley was getting opportunities before last year and did a great job of kind of keeping his focus while also, hey, being able to go show well when you get a chance to talk to teams. I think it’s a great opportunity for those guys and I’m not worried about it taking away from our focus on the Bucs.”

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Texans ask to interview Rams OC Kevin O’Connell for head coach position

Kevin O’Connell continues to pick up steam as a head coaching candidate, landing an interview with the Texans

Kevin O’Connell is busy game planning with Sean McVay for the Rams’ upcoming playoff game against the Buccaneers, but he also has one eye on future coaching opportunities. O’Connell will interview with both the Broncos and Vikings for their head coaching jobs this week, and now the Texans are eyeing the Rams’ offensive coordinator.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Texans have requested to interview O’Connell, too. It’s unclear when that meeting will take place as the two sides are working to set a time.

Because O’Connell would be going from offensive coordinator to head coach if he were to be hired by another team, McVay can’t block the interview. He could if it were a lateral move, going from coordinator to coordinator.

O’Connell isn’t the only Rams assistant drawing interest from other teams, either. Raheem Morris will interview with the Vikings, and Thomas Brown has an interview lined up with the Dolphins for their head coach opening.

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Vikings request to interview Rams OC Kevin O’Connell for head coaching job

Rams OC Kevin O’Connell has been a popular target for teams with coaching vacancies this offseason.

Kevin O’Connell is only in his second season as the Los Angeles Rams’ head coach, but it very well could be his last. He’s become a popular target for teams with coaching vacancies this offseason, landing a handful of interviews.

According to Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings are now among those teams interested in the Rams’ offensive coordinator. They’ve requested to interview O’Connell for their head coaching job after firing Mike Zimmer when the season ended.

The Broncos also requested an interview with O’Connell, and the Panthers are eyeing him for their offensive coordinator job.

O’Connell, 36, isn’t the Rams’ play-caller on offense, but he does provide a ton of value to Sean McVay and the coaching staff. He not only helps with game planning throughout the week, but he also works closely with Matthew Stafford and the quarterbacks.

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Broncos request to interview Rams OC Kevin O’Connell for head coaching job

The Broncos are eyeing Rams OC Kevin O’Connell for their head coaching job

Sean McVay is only 35 years old but his coaching tree is starting to grow quite large. Having already paved the way for Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur and Brandon Staley to land head coaching jobs, McVay could have another one of his disciples coaching a team in 2022.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Broncos have requested to interview Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for their head coaching vacancy. The Broncos fired Vic Fangio after this season ended, leaving at head coach.

McVay and the Rams cannot deny the request because it would be a promotion for O’Connell and not a lateral move to the same position.

O’Connell is in his second season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator after holding the same job with Washington in 2019. He was also an offensive assistant in Washington two years prior to that.

He doesn’t call the offensive plays for the Rams, but he does help with weekly game planning and works closely with the quarterbacks.