Vikings Make Multiple Coaching Staff Changes
With Brian Flores locked in for another season, the Vikings turned their attention to the rest of the coaching staff — and several changes followed. Minnesota announced multiple new hires and one promotion Tuesday as Kevin O’Connell reshaped key spots on both sides of the ball.
Rob Kleifield of Vikings.com wrote, “Minnesota is welcoming new faces to its coaching staff as February gets rolling. The Vikings on Tuesday announced the hiring of one addition to the offensive staff and two to the defensive staff, the latter offsetting the end of Marcus Dixon’s contract and Daronte Jones’ departure. Dixon fulfilled his two-year contract as the team’s defensive line coach, and Jones was hired away to be the Washington Commanders Defensive Coordinator following four seasons coaching the secondary.”
Jones was the internal candidate to replace Flores in the case of his departure. Instead, he’s getting the promotion in Washington.
“In addition to the new on-boards, the Vikings promoted Keith Carter from assistant offensive line coach to offensive line coach,” Kleifield added. “Carter, 43, was brought in last February to assist former OL coach Chris Kuper, whose contract expired and was not renewed.”
Carter was hired last offseason. He is an experienced offensive line coach, having served in that position with the Tennessee Titans (2018-2022) and the New York Jets (2023-2024). Kuper was on Kevin O’Connell’s initial staff and has been his only OL coach so far. The offensive line didn’t meet expectations in 2025. Whether promoting the assistant is the right move to fix things remains to be seen.
The new man in charge of the blocking unit could benefit from the hiring of assistant head coach Frank Smith, who was the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins over the last four campaigns after serving as the OL coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kleifield mentioned, “Smith, who was voted by players as the top offensive coordinator in the 2023 NFLPA survey, helped Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller with his sobriety during their time together with the Raiders. Waller was quoted in a profile of Smith — touted as the ‘Dolphins best-kept secret’ — by The Athletic in September 2023.
Smith will take over the job vacated by retired assistant HC Mike Pettine. Like Kuper, Pettine was part of O’Connell’s original staff and departed after four seasons.
With Daronte Jones leaving for Washington, the Vikings needed a new defensive pass game coordinator and DB coach. They found one in Gerald Alexander.
Alexander served as the DB coach in Flores’ final two seasons as the head coach in Miami. Last year, he held the same job title in Las Vegas.
Familiarity with the top defensive coach should help the transition from Jones to Alexander. Minnesota allowed only one passing touchdown in the final eight games of the season. His coaching skills could also be in the spotlight, as the Vikings are in the market for an infusion of youth at both cornerback and safety.
And finally, there’s defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who is taking over from departed DL coach Marcus Dixon.
He was the co-defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints in 2022 and the DC of the Falcons in 2023 and the Jaguars in 2024. Last year, he was a senior defensive assistant. The Vikings interviewed Nielsen for their DC opening in 2023, but Brian Flores won the job.
Nielsen will take a step back to position coach. He has been a DL coach for nearly two decades in both college and the pros. His experience will come in handy when he’s working with Jalen Redmond, who would be a scary defender if there’s even a little more untapped potential. Young draftees Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Levi Drake Rodriguez could also benefit from his experience.
Altogether, the Vikings will enter 2026 with three new coaches and one internal promotion — subtle changes on paper, but meaningful ones for a team trying to fix the offensive line and maintain one of the league’s top defenses. The staff around O’Connell is different, and those tweaks could quietly shape how far Minnesota goes next season.