REPORT: Vikings add a former offensive coordinator to 2018 coaching staff
By Adam Patrick
The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly hired former Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing as a senior offensive assistant.
About a week ago, the Minnesota Vikings announced the hiring of John DeFilippo as the team’s new offensive coordinator. Well, now it appears that the Vikings will be adding another new coach to their offensive staff.
On Saturday, it was reported by ESPN’s Adam Caplan that Minnesota is hiring Todd Downing as a senior offensive assistant. Downing was the offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders in 2017.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport also confirmed the news reported first by Caplan.
Prior to being the Raiders’ offensive coordinator in 2017, Downing was the quarterbacks coach for Oakland in 2015 and 2016. Before he joined the Raiders, he spent time as the quarterbacks coach for both the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.
Coincidentally, Downing’s very first paying job in the NFL came with the Vikings. From 2003 to 2005 he worked for the team as both a football systems analyst and an offensive quality control coach.
More from The Viking Age
- 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022
Downing is also a native of Minnesota, as he grew up in Eden Prairie and attended the University of Minnesota.
With his hiring, the Vikings will now have two young minds in DeFilippo and Downing (both under the age of 40) in charge of running the team’s offense. Minnesota is hoping that both will be able to continue and even improve upon the team’s offensive success from 2017.
Given that Downing has been a quarterbacks coach in the past, the Vikings blocking current quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski from interviewing with the New York Giants does seem a little odd now. Perhaps Minnesota is just preparing for DeFilippo to leave for a head coaching job in 2019 if the Vikings’ offense continues to be successful next season.
Next: Where will Case Keenum end up in 2018?
Whatever the reasoning may be, Minnesota now has a bunch of cooks in their offensive kitchen for 2018 and possibly beyond.