Patrick Joseph O'Connor (born November 1, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Eastern Michigan Eagles The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...

College career

O'Connor recorded 42

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and 8.5 sacks as a senior playing for

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

. He recorded 166 total tackles and 20 sacks primarily playing the

position in college, and was noted for his work ethic. He was named to the All-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

team in 2016.

Professional career

Detroit Lions (first stint)

The

selected O’Connor in the seventh round with the 250th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. On May 12, 2017, the Lions signed O'Connor to a four-year, $2.46 million contract with a signing bonus of $64,270. He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Lions'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He was released by the team on September 13, 2017.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 9, 2017, O'Connor was signed to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 29, 2017. On September 1, 2018, O'Connor was waived by the Buccaneers and was re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on December 31, 2018. On September 2, 2019, O'Connor was waived by the Buccaneers and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 24, 2019. In Week 14 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in 2020, O'Connor recorded his first career sack on

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Mi ...

during the 26–14 win. O'Connor played in all four games in the Buccaneers' playoff run that resulted in the team winning

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

. O'Connor was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender by the Buccaneers on March 9, 2021. He entrenched himself as a core special teams player for the Buccaneers in 2021. He suffered a knee injury in Week 15 and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on December 21. On March 15, 2022, the Buccaneers announced they would not tender O'Conner. On April 12, 2022, the Buccaneers re-signed O'Connor to a one-year contract. On August 29, 2023, O'Connor was released by the Buccaneers and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 20. He was released on October 31 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 1.

Detroit Lions (second stint)

On August 1, 2024, O’Connor signed with the Lions. He was released on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 19. On March 18, 2025, the Lions re-signed O'Connor to a one-year contract.

References

External links

Detroit Lions bioEastern Michigan Eagles bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Pat 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Chicago American football defensive ends Eastern Michigan Eagles football players Detroit Lions players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players