Category: Coaching Staff

Vikings hire two assistants to coaching staff

The Minnesota Vikings announced the hirings of Shaun Sarrett as assistant offensive line coach and Henry Schneider IV as assistant coaches

The Minnesota Vikings have lost a few assistants this offseason to other jobs. They came one step closer to finalizing their staff for the 2024 season.

On Friday afternoon, the Vikings announced the hirings of Shaun Sarrett as assistant offensive line coach and Henry Schneider IV as the assistant to the head coach.

Sarrett was with the Los Angeles Chargers for the last three seasons under head coach Brandon Staley. During his time there, he helped develop Rashwn Slater into a second-team All-Pro. He also spent time with special teams coordinator Matt Daniels at Duke when they were both in college.

Schneider was with the Las Vegas Raiders over the last five seasons in different managerial capacities: football operations assistant, football operations coordinator and manager of coaching operations.

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Vikings make two additions to the coaching staff

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Friday afternoon that they hired Marcus Dixon to be DL coach and Mike Pettine adds OLB coach to title

The Minnesota Vikings have finally filled the role of defensive line coach vacated by Chris Rumph back in December. The team announced on Friday afternoon that they have hired former Broncos defensive line coach Marcus Dixon to the same position.

Along with Dixon, the Vikings also added outside linebackers coach to Mike Pettine’s title. The hire makes sense, as head coach Kevin O’Connell has brought in numerous coaches who have spent time on the same staff with him. Dixon’s first year coaching in the NFL was in 2021 when he joined Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams, a staff where O’Connell was the offensive coordinator.

Pettine has served on O’Connell’s staff as the assistant head coach and adds outside linebackers coach to his title. He replaces Mike Smith, who took a personal leave during the 2023 season. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Smith and the Vikings have parted ways.

There could be more coaching moves but it appears that only assistant offensive line coach needs to be filled heading into the 2024 season.

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Former Vikings HC Mike Zimmer named Cowboys defensive coordinator

Mike Zimmer is back in the league where he all started in the state of Texas

The Minnesota Vikings have only had 10 head coaches in their storied history and one of those has landed a job back in the National Football League.

According to multiple sources, the Dallas Cowboys have officially hired Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator.

Zimmer got his first job in the NFL working for Jerry Jones as an assistant in 1994. He also won the Super Bowl in 1995 and worked his way up to defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator, a title he held from 2000-2006. He left for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 and eventually became the Vikings head coach from 2014-2021.

Zimmer has fielded some elite defenses, including four with top-10 finishes and a first-place scoring defense in 2017 with the Vikings. He inherits a Cowboys defense that finished top five in scoring defense in 2023 allowing just 18.5 points per game. Not only was the defense effective, but they have some immense talent like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs.

Zimmer is likely going to have a great defense and should be a must-see television in 2024.

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Vikings lose assistant OL coach to Bengals

Minnesota Vikings assistant OL coach Justin Rascati was hired by the Cincinnati Bengals as passing game coordinator.

The Minnesota Vikings haven’t had a ton of coaching turnover this year but they did lose another assistant coach. The Cincinnati Bengals announced that Vikings assistant offensive line coach Justin Rascati will be the new passing game coordinator for the franchise.

Rascati spent the past two seasons with the Vikings serving as an assistant to offensive line coach Chris Kuper. Before that, he served on the Denver Broncos staff for three years.

The Vikings have now lost two assistants with the first being defensive line coach Chris Rumph. He left for the same position at Clemson back in December after being on a leave of absence since October.

Seeing assistants leave is common for just about every coaching staff, especially when it comes to promotions. Time will tell who the Vikings end up hiring to fill Rascati’s role.

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Vikings DBs coach Daronte Jones interviews for Giants DC job

Losing Jones would be a tough blow for the Vikings, but he has earned the opportunity to both interview and become a defensive coordinator

During the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the Minnesota Vikings had multiple coaches on the National team’s defensive staff and it seems to already be paying dividends for the coahces.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones interviewed for the New York Giants vacant defensive coordinator position.

Pelissero also mentioned that the interview took place in Mobile, AL where the Senior Bowl is held which makes sense considering the entire league heads down there each year.

Losing Jones would be a substantial blow to the Vikings, as Jones is an integral part of what they do on defense and gets credit for helping to develop Josh Metellus, Camryn Bynum and more.

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Vikings OC Wes Phillips comments on recent misdemeanor arrest

Phillips spoke to the media on Tuesday on his recent arrest for suspicion of DWI

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips spoke for the first time since his arrest Friday night.

“Aside from the standards I have for myself, I do understand that as a coach in this league there are cartain standards from the NFL and from the Minnesota Vikings, and I didn’t live up to those standards,” he said.

The coach was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DWI. He was released on bond soon after. Phillips was able to travel with the team on Sunday, and head coach Kevin O’Connell commented after the game on the decision, along with the situation as a whole.

“‘When that information came in, Wes immediately informed the team and everybody that he’s required to inform. … I was incredibly disappointed, there’s no question, but we want to allow the facts (to emerge) and do our due diligence from that standpoint. The league is clearly involved as well,” O’Connell said Sunday.

“It’s going to be something we’ll continue to evaluate, but with it being late on Friday and gathering more information on it, I made the decision after circling up with our leadership and everybody that Wes would travel and ultimately coach today. … We’ll continue to process the information as we move forward and work through whatever discipline there may be at that point.”

Vikings DL coach Chris Rumph accepts same job at Clemson

The Vikings lost their defensive line coach to the college ranks

Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach Chris Rumph has accepted the same position at Clemson University. The move was announced on Monday morning by Clemson.

Rumph joined the Vikings for Kevin O’Connell’s first season in 2022 and help coach up the defensive line to success beyond their talent. He entered 2023 as the defensive line coach as well, but went on a personal leave of absence back in October.

Assistant defensive line coach Pat Hill has been handling the duties of Rumph while he was on his leave of absence. He will likely continue those duties over the rest of the season.

Rumph returning to the college game shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, especially Clemson. Rumph served at Clemson in the same role from 2006-2010.

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OLB coach Mike Smith takes leave of absence, Mike Pettine to coach unit

Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine will replace Smith, who is taking a personal leave.

Minnesota Vikings outside linebackers coach and pass rush specialist Mike Smith is taking a leave of absence from the team.

According to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, Smith is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Assistant head coach Mike Pettine will coach the position group in his place. Defensive assistant Imarjaye Albury will help coach the unit, too.

Pettine is in his second season with the Vikings but has close to 30 years of coaching experience.

Before joining the Vikings, Pettine served in multiple NFL roles, including as the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets. Pettine was also the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for two seasons, winning ten games.

Albury has been with the Vikings since 2020 and returns to the coaching staff after one year as a pro scout. In 2021, Albury coached the defensive line in the Vikings Week 16 game in the place of former co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson.

Vikings finalize football operations and personnel departments for 2023 season

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finalized the team’s football ops and personnel departments ahead of the 2023 season.

The Minnesota Vikings finalized their football operations and personnel departments on Friday, the team announced in a statement.

The changes to the departments include ten new hires and four promotions, including a number of new college area and pro scouts.

“We are pleased to finalize our football operations and personnel departments and extend a warm welcome to our new staff members,” Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in the statement provided by the team. “The Vikings organization is comprised of talented individuals that possess unique skills and strengths and we are excited to continue fostering a collaborative and innovative culture that promotes working together to achieve shared success.”

Here are all the moves made in these departments:

  • Sam DeLuca – Senior Assistant Director of Pro Personnel (new hire)
  • Salli Clavelle – Pro Scout (new hire)
  • Steve Sabo – College Area Scout (new hire)
  • Matt Kelly – College Area Scout (new hire)
  • Jack Murphy – College Scout/BLESTO (new hire)
  • Michelle Makoff – Scouting Associate (new hire)
  • Shantel Rodgers – Scouting Associate (new hire)
  • N’Tare Williamson – Scouting Associate (new hire)
  • Lexus Blunt – Assistant Athletic Trainer (new hire)
  • Anthony Caron – Football Information Systems Developer (new hire)
  • Tyler Williams – Vice President of Player Health and Performance (Promotion)
  • Luke Burson – Director of Football Information Systems (Promotion)
  • Emily Badis – Manager of Football Administration (Promotion)
  • Alex Dale – Pro Scout (Promotion)

Ben Ellefson to stay with team in hybrid role

The Vikings added to their staff with a recently retired player.

After retiring from the Minnesota Vikings as a player, former tight end Ben Ellefson isn’t leaving the team. According to head coach Kevin O’Connell, Ellefson will be moving into a hybrid role described as “some coaching, maybe scouting, maybe player engagement.”

O’Connell also said that the role will be finalized by training camp and continue through the 2023 season.

A graduate of North Dakota State, Ellefson brings with him three years of NFL experience and his knowledge of the system will help out the Vikings staff. Being that he was also a player just a week ago, the idea of a role in player engagement could be an excellent fit. Relating the players thoughts to the staff could be a tremendous asset to O’Connell and the Vikings.