Report: Vikings closing in on Rams OC Kevin O'Connell for head coach job

News broke Wednesday evening that the Vikings would not be hiring Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach as many had expected, as he decided to return to his alma mater Michigan. It didn't take long for them to close in on another candidate.

The Vikings are "zeroing in" on Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell for their head coach opening, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. Any deal can't be finalized until after O'Connell coaches in the Super Bowl.

At 36, O'Connell will become the second-youngest coach in the NFL, trailing only his current boss Sean McVay.

O'Connell played parts of five seasons in the league after being drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2008 Draft out of San Diego State. He was released by the Patriots the following year, being picked up briefly by the Lions before signing with the Jets, with whom he'd spend the next two years. He had short stops with the Dolphins, the Jets again and the Chargers over the next two years before retiring in 2012.

In 2015, O'Connell joined the Browns as their quarterbacks coach under Mike Pettine. He spent the 2016 season working on the 49ers' staff, and then jumped to Washington as their quarterbacks coach in 2017. By 2018 he'd added passing game coordinator to his duties, and in 2019 he was Washington's offensive coordinator.

In 2020, Washington hired Ron Rivera as its new head coach, and O'Connell was not retained. He instead jumped across the country to join the Rams as their offensive coordinator. Under O'Connell, Los Angeles ranked 11th (2020) and ninth (2021) in offensive yardage.