49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell will be matching wits in today’s NFC Championship Game. And they are also competing against each other for the Vikings’ head coaching job.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Minnesota plans to conduct second interviews with both Ryans and O’Connell this week. Ryans, whose unit ranked third in yards allowed and tenth in points allowed in his first season as DC, is also said to be a candidate for the Raiders’ head coaching post. However, with Las Vegas seemingly zeroing in on Josh McDaniels, the Vikings’ gig may be Ryans’ only real chance to earn a promotion to HC in this year’s cycle.
O’Connell, who spent the 2019 season as Washington’s OC before joining the Rams in that capacity in 2020, oversaw an offense that finished in the top-10 in terms of both points per game and yards per game in 2021. A member of the popular Sean McVay coaching tree, O’Connell was a finalist for the Broncos’ HC job that ultimately went to Nathaniel Hackett, and he has also taken a head coaching interview with the Texans. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, the Jaguars also want to sit down with O’Connell.
There is some confusion in Duval at the moment, which is not unusual for Jags fans. Earlier this week, we heard that the club was on the cusp of hiring Bucs OC Byron Leftwich as head coach and Cardinals vice president of pro scouting Adrian Wilson as general manager. According to Rapoport, neither hire “came close to happening,” and while Leftwich remains a candidate for the job — perhaps if the Jags agree to replace embattled GM Trent Baalke with Wilson — O’Connell has emerged as a late entrant to the race. The 36-year-old is reportedly a “big fan” of Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence, and Rapoport says O’Connell could quickly become the team’s top choice.
The problem for the Jags, as Pelissero notes in a follow-up tweet, is that, if the Rams defeat the 49ers today, Jacksonville would be unable to interview O’Connell until after the Super Bowl since it did not conduct an interview during the week of the divisional round. So, if the Rams win and the Vikings decide O’Connell is their guy, the Jaguars wouldn’t even have the chance to make a pitch.
In addition to Ryans and O’Connell — both of whom were employed by the Niners during new Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s tenure there — Pelissero confirms that the Vikes still want to have an interview with Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. We heard yesterday that an interview was scheduled to take place, but Pelissero says the only thing that has happened so far is an “exploratory conversation” to gauge Harbaugh’s interest. Still, a formal interview could happen this week, and Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network classifies the relationship between Harbaugh and Adofo-Mensah — who also, of course, share significant 49ers connections — as a strong one.
Please don’t f this up. O’Connell is the goal here.
You guys would be lucky to get Ryans as well…Don’t sell the man short..
Now, yes, he’d likely need to bring with him a strong OC to handle the offense, but Ryans is one of the best first year DCs I’ve EVER watched coach..
He’s excellent at making in-game adjustments, he’s excellent at game planning, and he absolutely excels getting the most out of his players. He puts them in a great position to succeed, and he’s the reason the 49ers were able to shut down the TOP TWO OFFENSES in the NFL so far these playoffs..
Also, Ryans has done this with predominantly a LB crew and a secondary made up of rookies, late round draft picks, UDFAs, and players that came out of nowhere..Thats excluding Fred Warner and Ward of course, but Moseley, Hufanga, D.Johnson, Josh Norman, Ambry Thomas, Al-Shaair, Greenlaw, etc.
There best boundary corner was hurt from the beginning of the season, Verrett, Ryans adapted, and hasn’t skipped a beat..
He knows how to get the most out of his lineman too, getting career years from the likes of Arden Key, Ebukam, Bosa, DJ Jones, Kevin Givens, Street, and since he made the adjustment of moving Arik Armstead inside the 49ers have been BEASTS!!!
Whichever team eventually gets Ryans should consider themselves lucky!!
AT THE VERY LEAST, think about this, in today’s pass happy, BIG OFFENSIVE numbers NFL, Ryans is a rookie DC getting HC hype and interviews. That should speak VOLUMES for itself !!
Our fans don’t want a DC as HC for the sample fact Zimmer was, personally Ryans is my pick hands down. We need leadership and a guy that can get the best out his players and he showed he’s capable of that in one year. I had more but you covered most especially his adjustments during games that’s definitely underrated. We had a big problem adjusting during games just letting teams comeback not changing nothing on defense or not adjusting to teams defense calling the same nonsense on offense. When I look at HC I look at a coach that can motivated players on both sides of the ball and can adjust with the opponents they facing, not just play calling one side I don’t see the same from O’Connell. Would love Ryans at HC and O’Connell at OC so he can finally call plays tho!
Lol
All three of these guys would be a solid hire.
lol at the Vikings..I thought Cousins was supposed to the be the answer..
What happened to Doug Pederson?
He not interested in being HC of the Vikings?
Vikings not interested in him as HC?
Listed as a HC Candidate and “Interview Requested” for a considerable length of time here at Pro Football Rumors – now removed…