At Least 3 NFL Teams Are Interested in Vikings Coaches
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings aren’t the only team in search of coordinators for the 2023 season. In fact, there are several teams trying to fill out their coaching staffs, and at least 3 NFL teams have come calling for Vikings coaches in the past week. Here’s a list of each of them along with which coaches they’ve inquired about.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have actually gotten in touch with the Vikings regarding two different coaches for their offensive coordinator position previously held by Joe Lombardi. First, they wanted Vikings OC Wes Phillips for an interview, but he declined the chance in favor of staying in Minnesota. After that, LA decided to give another Vikings coach a shot, asking for an interview with assistant QBs coach Jerrod Johnson.
Johnson has been apart of NFL teams since the 2017 season and has had stops with the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts before joining Minnesota in 2022. This would be by far the most control he’s had in an offensive system, so it will be interesting to see what happens in this process.
New England Patriots
Keenan McCardell has become one of the most highly respected coaches in the NFL for his work he’s done with wide receivers throughout his career. And now, he’s officially in the running to be Bill Belichick’s next offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots in 2023.
After Josh McDaniels left the Patriots after the 2021 season to take over as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, New England never truly replaced him at OC. Instead, it was offensive line coach Matt Patricia calling plays for the offense for the first time in his coaching career. It went about as poorly as it sounds as the Patriots ranked among the bottom half of the NFL in points scored, total yards, yards per play, and first downs.
This coaching opportunity would provide a reunion for McCardell with coach Belichick. Back when the current Minnesota WR coach was an actual NFL wide receiver, he got his career started with the Cleveland Browns. After being drafted by Washington in 1991, he missed the entire season on injured reserve and then landed in Cleveland.
Baltimore Ravens
On Sunday, it was reported that the Baltimore Ravens had requested an interview with Vikings passing game coordinator Brian Angelichio for their vacant offensive coordinator position, as reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Angelichio has been an NFL coach since 2012, primarily holding the title of tight ends coach. He’s had stops in Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Green Bay, Washington, and Carolina before joining Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings for the 2022 season. With Angelichio on the staff, the Vikings had a top five passing offense in 2022, so it should be no surprise that teams are interested in what he has to offer.
So far, these are the three teams that have expressed interest in current Vikings coaches. Another former Vikings coach, Klint Kubiak, is also in discussions with the New York Jets for their vacant OC job. For now, nothing has been confirmed in terms of interviews for the current coaches. That news should come out relatively soon, though, so when it happens, we will have it covered.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.