4 former Vikings who could become great NFL head coaches one day
By Randy Smith
Jared Allen
Jared Allen quietly has started to emerge as a likely name and face for the next Jeff Saturday situation, and while maybe not as a head coach, if he could teach a 3-4 defensive scheme, the legendary Vikings edge rusher could even be an addition to Minnesota’s current staff.
Allen, more humorously than seriously, mentioned his name as a candidate for the Vikings’ head coaching vacancy after Mike Zimmer was fired earlier this year.
But even since the hiring of Kevin O’Connell and new general manager Kewsi Adofo-Mensah, Allen has kept a tight bond with the new Minnesota brass. Additionally, Allen seems to have a good long-standing relationship with the Vikings’ owners, similar to Saturday’s relationship with Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Outside of the call to action on social media, Allen’s interest in coaching is unclear. But his experience in different situations is already present from his time as a player.
His first head coach in Minnesota was an offense-minded Brad Childress, who was later replaced by Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Then the defense-first Zimmer arrived, and now, Allen has formed a relationship with a former Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator in O’Connell.
It seems Allen has strong ties to everyone involved with the Vikings, and if he wants to pursue coaching, the team could find a way to bring him on board. Unlike Saturday, the head coaching role is taken in Minnesota, but Allen could probably still return to the sidelines as a position coach or coordinator.
Must Read. Former Vikings coaches who were champions with another team. light