EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings quarterbacks room — like many at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center — will have new leadership in 2022.
Chris O'Hara was announced as the quarterbacks coach, and he will be assisted by Jerrod Johnson. Both men were announced during Minnesota's initial wave of coaching hires who are joining the inaugural staff of new Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.
1. Quick reunion
O'Hara is among several former Rams assistants that O'Connell persuaded to join the Vikings on the heels of winning Super Bowl LVI just 10 days ago in Los Angeles.
The 2021 season was O'Hara's first on the West Coast, but he also overlapped with O'Connell in Washington for three seasons (2017-19) as an offensive quality control coach when O'Connell was the quarterbacks coach (2017), QBs coach and passing game coordinator (2018) and offensive coordinator (2019).
O'Hara's other seasons in the NFL were with Jacksonville from 2014-16 and in 2020.
2. One previous season with Cousins
The 2017 arrivals of O'Hara and O'Connell in Washington involved coaching Kirk Cousins in his final season there before the quarterback signed with Minnesota in 2018.
Cousins passed for 4,093 yards with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a passer rating of 93.9, but he did tie his career high with four game-winning drives that season.
3. Helped Stafford prosper
O'Hara's role as an offensive assistant in Los Angeles helped the Rams score on 45.9 percent of their possessions during the 2021 regular season, which ranked third in the NFL.
He and O'Connell (the Rams QBs coach in 2021) helped Matthew Stafford prosper in his first season with Los Angeles. Stafford's 4,886 passing yards are the third most he's posted in a season, and his 41 passing touchdowns tied his personal best. His passer rating of 102.9 also was the second highest of his career.
Stafford recorded four game-winning drives in the regular season to help Los Angeles (12-5) win the NFC West and led three more for his first three career postseason victories. Stafford completed a whopping 70 percent of his passes for 1,188 yards and nine touchdowns (passer rating of 108.3) this postseason.
4. On campuses
O'Hara began college at Temple University and worked as a student assistant from 2009-10. He joined former Owls Head Coach Al Golden and Defensive Coordinator Mark D'Onofrio in heading to the University of Miami in 2011. He spent the next two seasons as a student assistant and then continued that work in 2013 as a graduate assistant.
In December 2012, O'Hara completed his bachelor's degree in sport administration with a minor in business. He graduated magna cum laude with a 3.87 GPA.
5. Dear Diary
A native of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, O'Hara played quarterback for Holy Redeemer and kept a journal of the school's first football season in 2007 for The Citizens’ Voice.
