The Vikings on Wednesday announced Kevin O'Connell as their 10th head coach in franchise history.
O'Connell departs for Minnesota after spending the last two seasons as the Rams' offensive coordinator. In 2021, he helped guide Los Angeles' offense to finish ninth in total offense (372.1 yards per game), rank second in plays of 50-plus yards (10), fourth in yards per play (5.98) and eighth in offensive touchdowns (51). Quarterback Matthew Stafford set a new franchise single-season record with 4,886 passing yards last season and tied Kurt Warner's franchise single-season touchdown mark with 41, while wide receiver Cooper Kupp became the NFL's fourth receiving "triple crown" winner since 1970 with a league-leading 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns.
In 2020, O'Connell aided a Rams offense that finished 10th in the league in rushing, averaging 126.1 yards per game and led by rookie running back Cam Akers' team-high 625 yards on the ground. The Rams also placed just outside of the top-10 in total offense, tallying 377 yards per game (11th), and passing offense, averaging 250.9 yards per game (13th). That year, O'Connell also helped quarterback Jared Goff posted his fourth-consecutive season with at least 3,800 passing yards and backup John Wolford earn his first-career win in his first start and appearance of his NFL career.
O'Connell is scheduled to be officially introduced by Minnesota at 2 p.m. pacific time/4 p.m. central time Thursday.
