Vikings reportedly looking to add an ‘older’ offensive coach
By Adam Patrick
Throughout Mike Zimmer’s tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, the team has had several different coaches in charge of the offense. More often than not, Zimmer has preferred to hire guys that actually have multiple years of experience when it comes to running an offense.
Despite the trend around the NFL that has teams hiring younger offensive coaches, Zimmer has continued to bring in guys closer to retirement who have a track record of building successful offenses. This is why coaches like Norv Turner, Pat Shurmur, and Gary Kubiak have all spent time as Minnesota’s offensive coordinator since Zimmer arrived in 2014.
With Kubiak retiring recently, the Vikings are in need of a new offensive coordinator once again. Most have been assuming that Minnesota will choose the team’s current quarterbacks coach, Klint Kubiak, to be their next offensive coordinator. But what if Zimmer wants the Vikings’ offense to be led by someone with more experience?
Minnesota Vikings still putting together their 2021 coaching staff
On Friday, Minnesota hired Keenan McCardell to be the team’s new wide receivers coach. With last season’s wide receivers coach, Andrew Janocko, still on the staff, some interpreted this move as the Vikings inching closer to promoting Klint Kubiak to be their new offensive coordinator.
Even if this is the scenario that ends up playing out, however, it appears as though Zimmer would still like to bring in a veteran offensive coach for his 2021 staff. In fact, he is reportedly looking to add an “older coach to help on offense,” according to the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.
If this is something Minnesota will actually do, who are some of the veteran coaches they could add to their 2021 staff?
First, we should consider some of the available veteran offensive coaches who have worked with Zimmer in the past. This group would include guys like Hue Jackson and Jay Gruden, among others.
At the same time, the Vikings might be interested in hiring an offensive mind that doesn’t have any connection to their head coach, like Adam Gase.
If you haven’t jumped for joy after reading some of these names, you’re not alone. But there were also plenty of people that weren’t excited when Minnesota named Pat Shurmur the team’s offensive coordinator in 2017 or when Gary Kubiak was given full control of the offense this past season.
Both ended up working out pretty well, so there are still reasons for optimism when it comes to the Vikings possibly adding a veteran offensive coach to their staff this year.