Vikings Coach Lands His 4th Interview
Successful teams often get their coaches poached following good seasons. That is the nature of the NFL, and the Vikings aren’t any different. Although nobody from Kevin O’Connell’s coaching staff has gotten a promotion elsewhere, there surely has been some interest.
Vikings Coach Lands His 4th Interview
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores was interviewed for three head coaching jobs, and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown was interviewed for one. Daronte Jones has gotten some looks for defensive coordinator gigs.
But perhaps the hottest name and the most likely guy to depart from the Twin Cities is assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski. Other organizations are lining up to secure an interview spot for the rising coach.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news via the site formerly called Twitter that he interviewed for Houston’s vacant OC job.
“In what was his fourth offensive coordinator interview of this cycle, Vikings’ assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski interviewed today for the Houston Texans offensive coordinator job.”
Udinski, 29, has also interviewed for the OC jobs of the Seattle Seahawks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New England Patriots. The Patriots re-hired their former OC Josh McDaniels, and the Seahawks chose former Vikings OC Klint Kubiak.
Tampa Bay and Houston are still options.
Kevin Seifert, ESPN’s Vikings reporter, commented: “Udinski started as Kevin O’Connell’s admin asst. Has never been a full position coach at any level. But O’Connell talks him up to everyone. That carries weight. As Adam has reported, Vikings QB coach Josh McCown — a prime OC candidate — decided he would only leave for a HC job.”
Udinski is part of the QB coaching staff that helped elevate Sam Darnold to a Pro Bowl level for the first time in his career. Darnold completed the regular season with 35 passing touchdowns and over 4,300 yards passing.
In addition to that, he has numerous jobs in the building.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling summarized his positions: “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.”
If Udinski lands one of the coveted coordinator jobs, the Vikes would surely miss him as McCarthy’s mentor, especially now that the young passer could become Minnesota’s QB1.
His boss, O’Connell, once said about Udinski, “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.”
It’s a good sign to see assistant coaches getting interest from around the league. That means the Vikings have a good man at the helm with O’Connell, and the head coach has assembled a talented coaching staff.
A guy like Udinski might get a job, or he will have to wait another year, but it’s evident that a bright mind like him will be more than “just” an assistant QB coach sooner rather than later.
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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