Ex-Washington coach Kevin O’Connell named Vikings head coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Another young, former Washington assistant has been named an NFL head coach.
Kevin O’Connell, who spent three seasons in Washington from 2017 to 2019, has officially been named the Minnesota Vikings head coach, the team announced on Wednesday.
O’Connell, 36, has spent the past two seasons as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay. His move to the Vikings had been reported for over a week, but it was not able to officially happen until after the Super Bowl since the Rams were playing in it.
In Washington, O’Connell served as Washington’s offensive coordinator during the 2019 season after spending the previous two seasons as the quarterbacks coach. He was given play-calling duties following the firing of Jay Gruden and impressed at times. O’Connell was initially in the discussion to keep his post following the hiring of head coach Ron Rivera, but Washington’s new boss opted to bring in Scott Turner from Carolina instead.
O’Connell will face Washington next season, as the Vikings are scheduled to come to FedEx Field at some point in 2022. The Vikings do not play the Rams in the regular season, though, so the O’Connell-McVay matchup will have to wait.