Promising Vikings Coach Continues to Get Looks From the NFL
During the 2018 season, an underwhelming campaign after an NFL title game appearance and the upgrade at quarterback with Kirk Cousins, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer fired first-year offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and promoted QB coach Kevin Stefanski to interim OC for the remainder of the season.
Promising Vikings Coach Continues to Get Looks From the NFL
Stefanski kept the job for another year and then was, after a phenomenal season for Minnesota’s offense, hired by the Cleveland Browns as their head coach.
Once again, the Vikings employ a QB coach, an assistant QB coach, to be exact, who is a rising star in the NFL circus.
Grant Udinski, Minnesota’s assistant QB coach for two years, has secretly been a hot name in this year’s coaching cycle. A couple of weeks ago, the Seattle Seahawks started by interviewing him for their vacant OC position.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Saturday that they had interviewed the 28-year-old for the same role as well: “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued their immediate efforts to find a new offensive coordinator on Saturday afternoon, completing a virtual interview with Grant Udinski, the Minnesota Vikings’ assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach. Earlier in the day, the team had done the same with Marcus Brady, the Los Angeles Chargers’ pass game coordinator.”
Liam Coen, Tampa Bay’s former OC, made headlines in recent days by becoming the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, days after reportedly agreeing to stick with his old job. His predecessor, Dave Canales, was hired by the Panthers in 2023.
Udinski has been with the Vikings since the 2022 offseason. Kevin O’Connell added him to his first coaching staff. His one previous stint in the NFL was with the Carolina Panthers.
Udinski was the assistant to the head coach in 2022. He was promoted in 2023, becoming assistant QB coach. While the entire coaching staff tried to get Jaren Hall ready for the game, he was asked to prepare Josh Dobbs in the short time after his arrival for the following weekend against the Falcons. Udinski is, to some extent, responsible for Dobbs-mania.
Last offseason, the Vikings appointed former NFL signal-caller Josh McCown as their QB coach. Udinski kept his assistant QB coach title and was promoted to assistant offensive coordinator.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling summarized his multiple jobs: “His unofficial roles include: mentor to McCarthy; post-practice pass rusher or receiver for Sam Darnold; advance scout and practice lieutenant for Phillips; complement to QB coach Josh McCown; ‘Crazy Grant’ to O’Connell’s kids; confidant, protégé and occasional comedic target for O’Connell.”
He has been a mentor for 2024 rookie J.J. McCarthy, and the Vikings would surely love to keep the coach because of that. McCarthy is set to take over the reins as Minnesota’s QB1 in the upcoming season unless the decision-makers decide to re-sign Sam Darnold or a comparable bridge quarterback.
Goessling wrote about the relationship between Udinski and McCarthy:
“They sit together in meetings, both furiously typing notes into Google spreadsheets. Now that McCarthy can attend practices again following knee surgery, Udinski drills him on reciting play calls like he’s the starter.
“I feel like that’s where true intelligence, true wisdom lies: making complex concepts simple,” McCarthy said. “You wouldn’t know he’s one of the smartest in the room. That’s something I really appreciate about him.”
O’Connell once said about Udinksi, “He’s got such an unbelievable understanding, from his background on offense and defense, and his sheer football stamina is something I really admire. I joke with him all the time, ‘Nobody loves football like you, man.’ His mind never really wanders from it.”
In the next few years, the Vikings will likely lose numerous assistant coaches and coordinators. Everyone wants to find the next Sean McVay or the next Kevin O’Connell, and they will look at their coaching staff first.
It remains to be seen whether Udinksi will coach McCarthy in the spring and the summer or create a playbook for Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt