Former Vikings coach will reportedly join hated NFC rival

Former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will reportedly leave his role with the San Francisco 49ers to join the New Orleans Saints staff.

After spending the last year as the passing game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has reportedly agreed to become the new offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.

Of all of the current and former Vikings coaches to get hired this offseason, few likely expected Kubiak to be among those to land a gig with a new team.

But the Saints clearly believe in Kubiak's potential enough to hire him as the new leader of their offense for the 2024 season.

Former Minnesota Vikings coach Klint Kubiak not entering favorable situation with New Orleans Saints

Obviously, getting the opportunity to be an NFL offensive coordinator again isn't one that Kubiak wanted to pass up. But it's possible that he could be in need of another new job in the very near future.

Dennis Allen has been the head coach in New Orleans since 2022, and the team has failed to make the playoffs in each of the two seasons that he has been in charge of the franchise.

If the Saints miss the postseason again in 2024, they will likely move on from Allen as their head coach, and the majority of his coaching staff would probably be let go as well.

So, a lot is riding on how well New Orleans can perform next season, and Kubiak will be attempting to help the team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

It won't be an easy task for the former Vikings offensive coordinator, that is for sure.

Kubiak's biggest priority for the Saints heading into the 2024 season will likely be to fix the team's terrible rushing attack. In 2023, New Orleans ranked 31st in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt, and they finished with less than 100 yards on the ground in nine of their 17 regular-season games.

While Kubiak's primary focus has been on the passing attack for the 49ers during the 2023 season, he comes from a Mike Shanahan/Gary Kubiak coaching tree that has utilized one of the most successful rushing schemes in NFL history.

When he was Minnesota's offensive coordinator in 2021, former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook rushed for over 1,100 yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. In today's NFL, that success on the ground can be a huge difference-maker for an offense.

Also, with Kubiak running the offense now, it won't be too surprising if a few of the players that were on Minnesota's roster in 2021, like Cook, wide receiver K.J. Osborn, or tight end Irv Smith Jr., end up in a New Orleans uniform for the 2024 season.