Vikings Might Be Asked to Replace 1 Coach Next Year
In the past two offseasons, Minnesota Vikings fans were closely following the head coach openings to be filled as they feared standout defensive coordinator Brian Flores might depart. He missed out twice, however. In the 2026 offseason, he will attempt to grab one of those 32 top jobs in the league.
Brian Flores could go up against Vikings QB Coach Josh McCown once again.
In the last circle, Flores interviewed three times. Surprisingly, the New York Jets also listened to Minnesota’s QB coach, Josh McCown, before hiring Lions DC Aaron Glenn.
A panel of ESPN’s NFC North analysts picked coaches from the division who could follow Glenn and fellow ex-Lions coordinator Ben Johnson into the head coaching ranks in about seven or eight months from now.
Kevin Seifert’s choice? Josh McCown. He explained, “As wild as it sounds, the 2024 season was McCown’s first full season as an NFL assistant coach. He opted against interviewing for offensive coordinator positions, but still got an interview for the New York Jets’ head coaching job.”
McCown took the one head coaching interview but said “no thanks” to all the coordinator openings, indicating that he might want to skip that step.
“McCown has long been on the league’s radar, having interviewed for the Houston Texans’ top job in 2022, and if McCarthy performs well in 2025, McCown might be able to skip the coordinator level altogether,” Seifert added.
There’s no doubt about it, McCown’s best chance to earn the promotion after spending two seasons under Kevin O’Connell would be a J.J. McCarthy explosion. If he’s looking like the real deal, a season after McCown helped former bust Sam Darnold to the Pro Bowl, the young coach would be an automatic hot candidate for a captain position. The Darnold year put him on the map; another good QB season would confirm his QB-guru gene.
McCown’s Career
Josh McCown is a former NFL quarterback. Unlike O’Connell, whose career quickly faded, McCown is a long-time veteran. A 2002 draftee, McCown’s last NFL action came in 2019.
He spent time with half the league.
- Arizona Cardinals (2002–2005)
- Detroit Lions (2006)
- Oakland Raiders (2007)
- Miami Dolphins (2008)
- Carolina Panthers (2008–2009)
- San Francisco 49ers (2011)
- Chicago Bears (2011–2013)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014)
- Cleveland Browns (2015–2016)
- New York Jets (2017–2018)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2019–2020)
- Houston Texans (2020)
McCown appeared in 102 games with 76 starts, collecting 98 passing touchdowns over the years. In 2010, he played for the Hartford Colonials of the UFL. His following stint with the Bears revived his career as a bridge quarterback.
The Texans thought about hiring him as their head coach in 2021 without any coaching experience outside of some high school duties. In 2023, the Panthers hired him as the QB coach to mentor the subsequent first overall pick, Bryce Young. Head coach Frank Reich and McCown were fired after a 1-10 start.
In February of 2024, O’Connell hired the experienced ex-player as his QB coach.
Darnold said about McCown in December: “He’s been great, just the way that — even when I first got here in OTAs — we’ve been able to learn the system together. And talk about the system and grow in it at the same time. It’s been a great journey so far. He’s been a great coach to be able to lean on where situations aren’t necessarily going my way, and he’s also there when things are getting good, just to remind me of my fundamentals and what I’ve got to do to continue good quarterback play.”
There’s a chance that Flores and McCown compete for jobs against each other. Wes Phillips, offensive coordinator since 2022, hasn’t gotten much head coaching buzz despite his association with Coach of the Year, O’Connell.
Usually, any connection with a hotshot coach like that makes any coordinator or position coach interesting for other teams. Just ask anyone who has ever worked under Sean McVay. Either way, there’s a decent chance the coaching staff will change in 2026, especially if the 2025 Vikings have some success.
McCown will turn 46 next month.
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