Two surprising leaders emerging in Vikings head coach search

As the Minnesota Vikings continue their search for a new head coach, there are at least two candidates that have a good chance to get the job.

While most are expecting that the Minnesota Vikings will have a new general manager by the end of January, hiring a new head coach might take a little longer.

Even without a general manager in place, however, the Vikings have still been conducting interviews for their head coach vacancy.

On Sunday, Minnesota met with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who is coming off an impressive showing on Saturday night when he helped the 49ers eliminate Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay Packers from the playoffs.

Two candidates appear to have significant shot at becoming next Minnesota Vikings head coach

After their meeting with Ryans on Sunday, the Vikings have now interviewed eight candidates for their head coach opening. Of these eight coaches, recent reports indicate that at least two of them have a good chance of getting hired by Minnesota.

Last Wednesday, the Vikings met with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn about Mike Zimmer’s old job. Apparently, Quinn impressed Minnesota in his interview as ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported on Friday that the team has the current Cowboys defensive coordinator high on their list, “if not at the top.”

In addition to Quinn, current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles seems to have a legitimate shot at becoming the next head coach of the Vikings.

According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo on Sunday, Bowles is “firmly in the running,” for Minnesota’s head coaching vacancy, and he is expected to get a second interview from the team.

Both Quinn and Bowles have already been head coaches in the NFL as Quinn was in charge of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020 and Bowles held the role for the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018.

Interestingly, both candidates grew up in New Jersey, which also happens to be where Minnesota’s owners, the Wilfs, are from. Hopefully, their hometowns aren’t an actual factor in this search.

The Vikings need to select the candidate that gives the franchise the best chance at winning a Super Bowl, regardless of whether they are from Antarctica or New Jersey.