Raheem Morris Turned Down the Vikings’ Defensive Coordinator Job

The Vikings interviewed three former head coaches for their defensive coordinator position this month and whiffed on all three. Steve Spagnuolo was never a serious candidate in Minnesota and as far as we know was never offered a contract. Mel Tucker we know was offered a contract but elected to stay in Jacksonville under new head coach Mike Mularkey (Tucker finished out last season as Jaguars interim coach and therefore qualifies as a former head coach). Raheem Morris, former Tampa Bay head coach, was interviewed before either of those other guys and was momentarily thought of as a serious candidate for the Vikings job. So what happened with Morris? Turns out he was offered the job by the Vikings too…and turned them down to become defensive backs coach in Washington.

Morris offered an explanation for his decision to choose a lower-profile, lower-paying job over the coordinator spot in Minnesota. “A lot of people might think it’s a missed opportunity not going to Minnesota after they offered, but I believe that in this game, all you have is your word and your tape, and I gave these guys my word, and I wanted to come here and help them this year, and I was going to do it,” Morris told the Washington Post.

Well that’s a relief. I was worried Morris turned down the Vikings because Leslie Frazier is perceived as a lame duck coach and the organization overall as a Mickey Mouse operation. But it turns out Morris was just demonstrating his integrity. Good luck to the classy Mr. Morris in Washington. I’m sure it will be a joy working under Mike Shanahan. That Redskins organization is really going places.

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