All 5 Coaches the Vikings Have Lost This Offseason
Josh Frey
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After a 13-4 season, the Minnesota Vikings have lost a number of their coaches to other teams as these (often rebuilding) teams try to turn around their futures by hiring up-and-coming coaches. So far, there have been 5 coaches that the Vikings have lost to other teams this offseason. Today, we’re going to go over all of them.
Ed Donatell
Of course, Ed Donatell was the first Vikings coach to leave the organization after he was fired back in January. The defensive coordinator did not have a terrific season in his sole year in Minnesota as the Vikings defense ranked 27th in the business per DVOA, 30th in points allowed, and 31st in yards surrendered.
Brian Flores took over the defensive coordinator job on February 6th, and he will be tasked with turning these numbers around in 2023. It is unclear what Donatell’s future holds for next season regarding whether or not he will continue coaching or retire.
Jerrod Johnson
Assistant QBs coach Jerrod Johnson left the Vikings to take on a challenge with the Houston Texans. That challenge comes in the form of QB coach for a team that is still trying to find their franchise quarterback.
The most likely option for Houston to find their next QB is the 2023 NFL Draft as they have the No. 2 overall pick, and there are a number of quality prospects to choose from. Johnson’s job will be to help identify exactly which QB they should target and then finding a way to turn that player into a success.
A’Lique Terry
Assistant defensive line coach A’Lique Terry is the only former Vikings coach (to this point, at least) to leave the team in favor of a collegiate coaching job. Terry is headed to the Oregon Ducks where he will be switching sides of the trenches and taking on the offensive line coaching position. Terry spent his collegiate years at Wake Forest where he played offensive line for the program.
Ben Kotwica
Special teams assistant coach Ben Kotwica is leaving the Vikings to take promotion to special teams coordinator with the Denver Broncos. He joins Sean Payton’s coaching staff as they try to revive the Russell Wilson trade they conducted last offseason. Kotwica spent one season with the Vikings.
Greg Manusky
Greg Manusky spent just the 2022 season with the Vikings as linebacker coach, but he is one of the more experienced coaches in the entire NFL, and prior to coaching, he spent 12 years as an NFL linebacker in Washington, Minnesota, and Kansas City. Because of this, it seems like he should have other options for coaching during the 2023 season if he wants them.
Prior to his time in Minnesota, Manusky spent time with four different NFL franchises, and he was a defensive coordinator in 12 of his 21 seasons as a coach. He also spent 12 years as an NFL linebacker with stints in Washington, Minnesota, and Kansas City.
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.