2 Former Vikings Get the Hot Seat Treatment
In the 2022 offseason, the Minnesota Vikings poached Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell following his Super Bowl triumph. Since then, he’s been an excellent leader for the purple franchise.
2 Former Vikings Get the Hot Seat Treatment
Every year, Vikings fans look at the coaching landscape and hope their coordinators remain with the franchise, such as Brian Flores in the last two offseasons. Under Mike Zimmer, two of his assistants were hired as head coaches, including Kevin Stefanski by the Cleveland Browns and Pat Shurmur, who didn’t last long with the New York Giants.
Stefanski is still employed by the Browns, going into his sixth season. It’s a rare sign of continuity for that franchise. Yet, as the operation once again struggles to claim victories, the offensive mind could be on the hot seat.
On Monday, the Tennessee Titans announced the exit of head coach Brian Callahan. Turns out 4-19 isn’t good enough, even with a rebuilding franchise.
Well, Stefanski and a former colleague, Jonathan Gannon (now head coach of the Arizona Cardinals), could be next, according to Moe Moton of Bleacher Report. They both landed on the list of five hot-seat candidates, with Aaron Glenn (New York Jets), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals), and Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins).
About Stefanski, Moton wrote, “The Cleveland Browns field a top-seven pass and run defense, but the unit isn’t getting much help from the offensive side of the ball. Star edge-rusher Myles Garrett expressed his frustration with the way the Browns lost their games.”
Stefanski’s expertise is the offense. He held various jobs in his time with the Vikings, including QB coach and offensive coordinator.
“Entering Week 7, the Browns haven’t scored more than 17 points in a contest this season, an indictment of Kevin Stefanski, an offensive-minded head coach,” Moton added.
Deshaun Watson’s infamous trade and absurd contract are attributed to the ownership, but it certainly didn’t help Stefanski’s offense. Since parting ways with Baker Mayfield, Stefanski has had to work with a revolving door of quarterbacks.
“Stefanski is in his sixth year as the Browns’ head coach with a losing record of 41-49. The club missed the playoffs in three of the last five years. Though Cleveland is a long shot to qualify for the postseason, Stefanski would likely have to show the team is headed in the right direction to save his job,” Moton concluded.
The ex-Viking won Coach of the Year twice; once for elevating Baker Mayfield and snapping the playoff drought, and the other for being competitive with street free agent Joe Flacco a couple of years back. Of all the problems in Cleveland, Stefanski is not near the top of the list, but that doesn’t always matter in the NFL.
Unlike Stefanski’s employment, many Vikings fans are not aware of their connection to Gannon. In all fairness, he was not a first-row assistant as the assistant DB coach from 2014 to 2017. Gannon arrived with Zimmer and left after the Minneapolis Miracle.
Then, he had three years with the Indianapolis Colts, where he met Nick Sirianni. Once Sirianni was hired as Philadelphia’s head coach, he brought Gannon with him as his defensive coordinator. Two years later, in 2023, Gannon was hired by the Cardinals.
Moton noted, “Under Jonathan Gannon, the Arizona Cardinals doubled their win total between 2023 and 2024, with quarterback Kyler Murray healthy for all of last year, but the team is headed in the wrong direction midway through the 2025 campaign.”
Arizona is 2-4, sitting in last place of the NFC West. All other division rivals have a 4-2 record. Kyler Murray’s injury could hold the franchise back further.
More from Moton, “In Week 6, the Cardinals started Jacoby Brissett under center and lost to the Indianapolis Colts 31-27. Though Arizona battled Indianapolis in a close matchup, it’s a results-based business, which means the team’s 2-4 record could turn up the temperature on Gannon’s seat. Given Murray’s uncertain return date, the Cardinals could lose their fifth consecutive game in Week 7, a home matchup against the Green Bay Packers. If the Packers embarrass them at State Farm Stadium, Gannon may not be the club’s head coach on the other side of a Week 8 bye.”
Unlike Stefanski, Gannon doesn’t have any Coach of the Year trophies sitting around, proving his talent as a head coach.
The Cardinals aren’t bad enough to warrant an in-season change, but he still needs some success in the near future, with a career record of 14-26, to secure his job for the remainder of the season and beyond.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.