Black Monday 2026 didn't result in any notable changes for the Minnesota Vikings (not yet, at least), but the NFL's annual day of departures did see three former members of the organization be handed their pink slips by their respective teams as Kevin Stefanski, Pete Carroll, and Jonathan Gannon were all fired on Monday.
Stefanski, who was a Vikings assistant coach for more than a decade, was let go by the Cleveland Browns on Monday after spending the last six seasons as their head coach.
Carroll, a former Minnesota defensive backs coach, was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders after only one year as their head coach, and Gannon, who was a Vikings assistant coach during the Mike Zimmer era, was shown the door by the Arizona Cardinals after spending the last three seasons as their head coach.
Recently fired former Minnesota Vikings coach could be a perfect replacement for Brian Flores
Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores is expected to be a top candidate for multiple head coach openings around the NFL this year, and if he leaves, a great replacement might have just become available.
Before he was hired by the Cardinals in 2023, Gannon was the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. In 2022, he played a significant role in getting the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII by helping the team's defense rank first in passing yards allowed and 10th in points allowed per opposing drive.
If Flores doesn't return to the Vikings this offseason, Gannon would be one of the top options to replace him in Minnesota as the team's defensive coordinator. As a plus, Gannon is also already familiar with the Vikings since he was the team's assistant defensive backs coach from 2014 to 2017.
His defensive scheme obviously wouldn't be the same as the one that Flores has been running, but it's one that should still translate well with the players that Minnesota already has on its roster.
With Gannon leading the charge in 2022, the Eagles led the NFL in sacks and ranked second in the league in pressure percentage. It's pretty easy to envision him finding a way to make the most of guys like Dallas Turner, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel.
Ideally, the Vikings would just like Flores to return for at least one more year. But if he doesn't, it's reassuring to know that there's already a proven replacement candidate available for Minnesota to bring in if they're interested.