A journey doesn’t require a specific destination. Sometimes, the journey itself is the search for that final destination.
Since taking over as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, Kevin O’Connell has repeatedly spoken about his and other team members’ “football journeys.” That journey can take a different form for each individual.
J.J. McCarthy takes over as an NFL starter for the first time in his career. He replaces Sam Darnold, who has played in five different organizations but resurrected his career after a Pro Bowl season in 2024. Harrison Smith is playing perhaps his final season after spending the last 13 seasons in Minnesota.
O’Connell’s hasn’t played since 2012, when his career unceremoniously ended after a practice squad stint with the San Diego Chargers. Still, for a while, it appeared like he could have a successful NFL career. He stood 6’5”, 225 lbs., and had mobility that made him a dual threat in high school and college. His football intelligence oozed through the screen, and you could sense his command in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.
High school heroics
Since the Vikings hired O’Connell, they have been known for their late-game heroics. He expects players to “be at their best when their best is required.” So, it’s fitting that in a 2002 game against Poway High, O’Connell was at his best when his best was required as a senior quarterback at La Costa Canyon High School outside San Diego.
Down 16-15 with 1:10 left in the game, O’Connell and the La Costa Canyon offense took the field at their own 26-yard line. After a gain of 23 yards on a screen pass, O’Connell threw three consecutive incompletions. Facing fourth down, the Mavericks needed to move the chains to keep their hopes alive.
O’Connell took the ensuing snap, sprinted right, outran a linebacker, then dove headfirst for the first down, taking a hit as he went out of bounds in front of the La Costa Canyon bench. On the next play, O’Connell took the snap, evaded the blitz, stepped up in the pocket, and lofted a pass into the end zone for a 40-yard go-ahead touchdown. They would convert the two-point conversion to win 23-16.
O’Connell had the speed to evade defenders that stood out throughout the game. He also had the arm strength to connect on passes 40 yards downfield. However, his biggest strength was his command at the line of scrimmage.
He wasn’t just going under center to take the snap and throw the ball. O’Connell was surveying the defense, ensuring his offense was in position. He operated the offense from the moment he received the play call until the whistle blew. When his team needed it the most, O’Connell was in control and guided them to victory.
The College Years
O’Connell stayed close to home for college, heading to nearby San Diego State. He would redshirt as a freshman before eventually becoming the starter halfway through the season.
In his second start, O’Connell and the Aztecs hosted Alex Smith’s ninth-ranked Utah Utes. Despite being inexperienced and facing a superior team, O’Connell was poised and had control of the offense.
O’Connell didn’t put up big stats. He only completed 21 of 43 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. But he displayed his football IQ, making reads on throws he unfortunately couldn’t complete. He tried ripping passes down the seams between defenders, narrowly missing. He broke the pocket when his overwhelmed offensive line broke down in protection. San Diego State ultimately lost 51-28, but O’Connell had proven that he was ready for the moment.
Two weeks later, San Diego State traveled to Colorado to face Air Force in a snowy contest. Despite the inclement weather, O’Connell handled the conditions well, drawing praise from the broadcast team. He completed 17 of 32 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns while adding 82 yards on the ground, and the Aztecs won 37-31.
O’Connell built on that foundation throughout college
In the next three seasons, O’Connell continued to be at his best in clutch situations. He aggressively attacked defenses downfield but wasn’t reckless. Although many of his runs were by design, his poor offensive line forced him to break the pocket to evade defenders.
Every once in a while, it appeared that the football gods needed to remind the audience that O’Connell was still a young quarterback. He had untimely turnovers while pitching the ball in the run game in contests at Ohio State and Hawaii as a sophomore after playing poised throughout most of the game. Those games, which were tightly contested before the turnovers, quickly got out of hand.
Still, that’s college football. Even after the turnovers, O’Connell’s on-field demeanor didn’t change. He kept his head up, continued to orchestrate the offense, putting the unfortunate plays behind him.
O’Connell had one of the best games of his career in a win over Portland State as a senior in 2007. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 443 yards and five touchdowns. Chuck Long, who took over as San Diego State’s head coach in 2006, praised O’Connell in the postgame press conference.
“Kevin is just really in command right now of everything,” Long told reporters. “He’s worked hard to get to this point, and he’s just a different guy out there. Of course, we didn’t have him much last year, but he’s just a different guy out there this year.”
O’Connell then answered some questions, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were listening to a seasoned coach at the podium. He was happy about the 52-17 win, but couldn’t help but talk about the plays that he could have executed in previous games.
“Our game plans were solid going into the previous two ballgames,” O’Connell said when discussing the Aztecs’ first two games of the season. “We executed for the most part. And the only thing that really got us was… penalties.
“You look back at the three or four times against Washington State, we were in the red zone and kind of shot ourselves in the foot. And then last week, we played a pretty darn good defense and moved the ball on them, but just didn’t finish. So I think it’s a matter of us just finishing. And when the big plays are there, they need to be made.”
O’Connell looked and sounded the part of a coach that night. He praised his teammates while saying he still had work to do himself. He lamented on previous performances with great detail, but he did so while speaking eloquently and confidently in front of the media.
The Aztecs finished 4-8, but O’Connell had displayed enough to garner interest heading into the upcoming draft. He set records at San Diego State with 1,312 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as a quarterback. He was named team MVP and was voted second-team All-Mountain West Conference.
O’Connell displayed his athleticism at the 2008 NFL Combine, running a 4.61 40-yard dash, which was the third-fastest among quarterbacks. His 30” vertical was second among quarterbacks who tested. Coupled with his 6’5”, 225 lb. frame, O’Connell was an intriguing prospect for any coaching staff willing to develop him.
The New England Patriots would draft O’Connell 94th overall. According to David Heuschkel of The Hartford Courant, the Patriots were intrigued by O’Connell being a four-year captain.
“Over the four years of being a captain, I learned a lot about leadership, a lot about dealing with teammates and how to get them to perform at the highest level,” O’Connell said. “I was blessed to have a lot of quality teammates at San Diego State and learned a lot from those guys and the leaders before me.”
Struggling under center in the NFL
Unfortunately, O’Connell’s time in New England was short-lived. When Tom Brady tore his ACL and MCL in the 2008 season opener, Matt Cassel, not O’Connell, took over the offense. O’Connell appeared in only two games, completing four of six passes for 23 yards. The Patriots cut him before the 2009 season.
O’Connell bounced around the league, spending time with the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Chargers before retiring in 2012. He never directly impacted the game, but the Jets named him team captain for their two contests against the Patriots in 2009. He helped with the game plan, and the Jets split the season series with New England.
It may not have been how O’Connell envisioned his playing career, but his time with the Jets helped open his eyes to one of his next steps in his football journey. Head coach Rex Ryan called O’Connell to let him know that even though they were letting him go, the Jets would be willing to hire him to their staff.
O’Connell officially retired after not being signed to an NFL roster in the 2012 season. His playing career didn’t take off the way he wanted. Still, his knowledge of the game, communication skills, and ability to connect and develop relationships with others would help him eventually return to the NFL to coach.
However, first, O’Connell took a few years off to work in television while also working behind the scenes, training quarterbacks for their upcoming drafts. His playing career may not have materialized in a way that helped him succeed as an NFL quarterback. Still, his knowledge of the game resonated with the coaches he had come into contact with, helping pave the way for the next steps in his football journey.