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According to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports, the Cleveland Browns are not retaining quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connell, who was hired by the club in 2015.
#Browns QB coach Kevin O'Connell isn't being retained>Hue Jackson's bringing his own guy..KOC would be a good fit for NFL or college staffs.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 14, 2016
Expect Kevin O'Connell to get some good options. He really helped Mariota w his draft prep & Manziel DID improve a lot on the field last yr.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 14, 2016
O'Connell made headlines for closely working with QB Marcus Mariota before the draft last year, while it was out-in-the-open that he was going to be hired by the Browns. Although the team didn't draft Mariota, the hiring was praised league-wide, and the one position that was a bright spot on-the-field for most of the season in Cleveland was at quarterback.
Before the team hired Hue Jackson to be their head coach, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer reported that the team asked O'Connell to stay on board if the new head coach wanted him. It sounds like Jackson wants his own guy, which is understandable.
Even if O'Connell is a very solid quarterbacks coach, head coaches like to bring in people who they are familiar with and know for certain they will be on the same page. For example, imagine you work for a company and are a boss to someone who is great. If you merge with a company and can either bring your guy or keep the guy from the other place, who also has a good reputation, chances are you're sticking with your guy. It doesn't mean O'Connell did anything to deserve being let go; he's just a victim of circumstance. Fortunately for him, it sounds like he'll be very much in-demand in the coming weeks.
Who will Jackson bring in as his quarterbacks coach? Before Cleveland hired Jackson, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report believed he already had former Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton lined up as his quarterbacks coach. Other rumors have Hamilton coming to Cleveland to be the team's offensive coordinator (although perhaps he could serve both roles if Jackson continues to call plays).