Vikings See Trusted Defensive Coach Poached
While much of the focus has been on Brian Flores’ head coaching pursuit, the Minnesota Vikings quietly lost one of his top assistants. Defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones is headed to Washington as the Commanders’ new defensive coordinator.
Because it is a promotion, the Vikings had no chance to block his departure. Jones had several interviews this offseason after generating coordinator buzz last offseason. This time, however, he was successful.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on Monday night, “Source: Commanders are finalizing a deal to hire Vikings defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones as their defensive coordinator. Jones has been one of Brian Flores’ most trusted defensive coaches the past three seasons, and he also has coached under Vance Joseph and Mike Zimmer.”
Jones also interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, New York Giants, and Green Bay Packers. He was also considered the top candidate for Flores in case he left for a head coaching job. Flores has only interviewed for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, but both went in different directions.
Note, as well, that Flores interviewed for the DC opening in Washington before venturing back to Minnesota to be the DC.
The defensive mind has spent time with the Vikings under several defensive coordinators, starting as the DB coach in 2020, when Mike Zimmer was still the head coach. In 2021, LSU snagged him to lead their defense as the DC, but he was not retained for a second year when Ed Orgeron was fired and replaced by Brian Kelly.
Fortunately for Jones, he had strong support inside Vikings headquarters. The Vikings brought him back despite the regime change, once again working as the DB coach in 2022. When Flores was hired in 2023, Jones was moved to the defensive pass game coordinator role.
The pass defense was lights out in 2025, ranking 2nd in EPA/dropback and 3rd in pass DVOA. It’s also noteworthy that the Vikings allowed only a single passing touchdown in the final eight games of the season and that came on a Jared Goff heave on fourth down that required an acrobatic catch from rookie Isaac TeSlaa.
The Commanders parted ways with both coordinators after a disappointing 5-12 season, which included a shutout loss against the Vikings and Jones.
Jones will now work under Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, who took over playcalling duties from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. It remains to be seen whether Quinn will remain the playcaller, as the unit didn’t improve significantly under his watch.
The Athletic‘s Nicki Jhabvala wrote, “Jones, a Maryland native and former cornerback at Temple and Morgan State, will be a first-time NFL play caller as he attempts to transform a Washington defense that has been a liability for much of the last two seasons. He takes over for Joe Whitt Jr., who was fired at season’s end after two seasons of leading the Commanders’ defense, and inherits a group with numerous roster holes. Washington has more than 30 free agents across the roster and many positions that need upgrades in talent.”
With Jones gone, the Vikings will now need to replace yet another trusted member of Brian Flores’ defensive staff — adding to an offseason that has already required continuity planning across multiple position groups.
The Vikings have several positions to fill in addition to Jones’ vacated defensive pass game coordinator position. Offensive line coach Chris Kuper was let go after four seasons. Defensive line coach Marcus Dixon has not been re-signed and has been interviewed elsewhere and safeties coach Michael Hutchings has accepted the DC role at the University of California.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.