The Minnesota Vikings’ success is arguably the biggest surprise of the 2024 NFL season, as they have won 11 of their first 13 games and are challenging the Detroit Lions for the NFC North title and No. 1 overall seed down the stretch.
A huge reason for the Vikings’ success is head coach Kevin O’Connell, who has emerged as one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the league. While he is currently the fourth-youngest head coach in the NFL, how old is he?
Kevin O’Connell’s Age and Experience
O’Connell was born on May 25, 1985, and is 39 years old.
O’Connell is one of five NFL head coaches in his 30s, joining Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald (37), Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay (38), New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo (38), and Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen (39).
O’Connell was hired in February of 2022 after being the offensive coordinator for the Rams under McVay’s tutelage. They defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the team’s OC.
Prior to his time with Los Angeles, O’Connell started out his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns. He was hired to the offensive staff of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 and joined the Washington Commanders the next season. He was with Washington through 2019 before joining the Rams.
Prior to becoming a coach, O’Connell actually played in the NFL. While playing college football at San Diego State, the quarterback threw for 7,689 yards and 46 touchdowns, both top-five marks in the school’s history.
In the 2008 NFL Draft, O’Connell was drafted No. 94 overall by the New England Patriots. Throughout his NFL career, he had stints with the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and San Diego Chargers, largely spending time on practice squads.
He was hired by Minnesota just three days after his Super Bowl victory. O’Connell is the Vikings’ 10th head coach in franchise history.
O’Connell has found success during his time with the Vikings as he led the team to a 13–4 record in the 2022 season. The Vikings won the NFC North for the first time since 2017 but were defeated by the New York Giants in the Wild Card Round by a final score of 31–24.
This season, Minnesota sits at 11-2 and in second place in the NFC North behind the Detroit Lions. O’Connell has emerged as a legitimate candidate for the Coach of the Year award.
The Vikings currently have the NFL’s third-best defense and 10th-best offense in PFN’s Defense+ and Offense+ metrics, and they rank No. 4 in our latest NFL power rankings.
