Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has emerged as a finalist for the head coach vacancy with the Denver Broncos, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. O’Connell has also interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings’ opening.
Considered one of the NFL’s young rising stars among coaches, O’Connell’s emergence may be another heartbreaking aspect for Washington Football Team fans.
Washington has gone through more lackluster seasons than good in the past 30 years. Meanwhile, fans have had to endure watching a trio of former Washington assistant coaches blossom as NFL head coaches.
For the past four years, the NFC has gone through San Francisco, Green Bay and Los Angeles. What the three teams have in common is they are all headed by former Washington assistants. Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers, Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers and Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.
In fact, Shanahan, LaFleur and McVay were on the same staff under head coach Mike Shanahan as assistants from 2010 until 2013 with Washington. Shanahan as offensive coordinator, LaFleur as quarterbacks coach and McVay as tight ends coach.
A photo and video of the three together in Washington went viral over the weekend.
This Sunday Shanahan’s 49ers and McVay’s Rams will battle in the NFC Championship Game in LA. This comes after LaFleur coached the Packers to back-to-back NFC title game appearances in 2020 and 2021. Shanahan and the 49ers beat the Packers in 2020. The year before that McVay and the Rams went all the way to the Super Bowl.
If O’Connell landed the job in either Denver or Minnesota, he will inherit a plethora of offensive weapons. So he could easily tune either team into contention.
Smart Washington fans can decipher the circumstances that led to the departures of Shanahan, LaFleur and McVay. However, it was just over two years ago when many felt O’Connell was on track to be Washington’s next head coach after the firing of Jay Gruden.
Instead, Washington hired Ron Rivera in 2020. O’Connell interviewed to remain the offensive coordinator. Yet, the team went in another direction. Rivera hired Scott Turner, the son of former Washington head coach Norv Turner.
O’Connell landed the Rams’ offensive coordinator position under McVay. Now, he is a step closer to becoming an NFL head coach. Much like the other three aforementioned former Washington assistants, he’ll do so under the age of 40.
