Fast-Rising Ex-Vikings Coach Breaks Into HC Search
The NFL head-coaching cycle will dominate off-field news in January, while playoff teams continue to fight for the two Super Bowl tickets. Several current and former Vikings employees have received interview requests for various positions. On Monday, Grant Udinski was added to the list.
Grant Udinski’s HC Bid
Udinski is currently the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Cleveland Browns are interested in the young coach and want to interview him for their vacant top position, a week after firing another ex-Viking, Kevin Stefanski.
Prominent NFL reporter Tom Pelissero revealed on Monday via social media, “The Browns requested an interview with Jaguars OC Grant Udinski for their head coaching job, per source. Just 30 years old, Udinski has risen rapidly through the coaching ranks. Now, his first look for a HC job.”
Udinski is just one year removed from his promotion to OC, but his work with Trevor Lawrence hasn’t gone unnoticed. The former first overall pick scored 38 touchdowns (29 passing) en route to a playoff bid, including a divisional crown and a home playoff game. That game resulted in a close loss against the Buffalo Bills, but turning around the record from 4-13 to 13-4 in one offseason has earned the coaching staff respect.
The young coach turned 30 on Monday, and the interview request was his birthday present. A graduate assistant at Baylor in 2019, Udinski was hired as a coaching assistant by the Panthers in 2020. Kevin O’Connell hired him as the assistant to the head coach & special projects when he joined the Vikings in 2022. A year later, he earned the title of assistant QB coach and in addition to that, he was named assistant offensive coordinator in 2024.
A year ago, Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling summarized his positions in the building: “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.”
Last season, the Vikings might have needed McCarthy’s mentor in the building, as the quarterback struggled for most of the season.
Udinski would face a challenging situation in Cleveland, where the roster and quarterback outlook remain unsettled and the franchise is still carrying significant long-term salary commitments.
Still, head coaching opportunities don’t come around often, especially at age 30.
The Browns’ candidate list reportedly includes 13 coaches, highlighted by former head coaches John Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel.
Lawrence endorsed his coach last month: “He’s helped me a lot. He’s really unique. I’ve never really met anyone like him, the way he approaches the preparation process, the attention to detail, the game planning in general, the things that he thinks about, the conversations that we have throughout the whole week. It’s a very, very detailed process and it seems like we don’t leave—there’s no stones that are left unturned in his approach with us in the QB room.”
Given Udinski’s career trajectory, he could remain part of the broader coaching cycle in the coming weeks.