Pat O'Connor (American football)


Patrick Joseph O'Connor is an American football defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football at Eastern Michigan.

College career

O'Connor recorded 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks as a senior playing for Eastern Michigan University. He recorded 166 total tackles and 20 sacks primarily playing the defensive end position in college, and was noted for his work ethic. He was named to the All-Mid-American Conference team in 2016.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions selected Connor in the seventh round of 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 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' 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.