Per a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to interview former Georgia tailback and assistant coach Thomas Brown to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy.
Brown is currently the running backs coach and assistant head coach for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Vikings are expected to officially introduce Rams’ offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their new head coach on Thursday, so this would be a move that makes sense given Brown’s connections to O’Connell. Per Pelissero, Brown is also a candidate to replace O’Connell as offensive coordinator in Los Angeles.
Brown, who played running back at Georgia from 2004-07, was hired by the Rams to coach the running backs in 2020. He spent the 2015 season at Georgia, coaching a running backs group that featured Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. As a unit, Georgia rushed for 2,513 yards on the year, including 194.3 yards per game.
From Vikings Wire:
Brown, a former sixth-round draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons, has risen through the coaching ranks since his days training strength and conditioning at the University of Georgia. He latched on as a running backs coach for the Rams in 2020 before being promoted as an assistant head coach in their 2021 Super Bowl season.
The 35-year-old coach obviously has a clear connection with incoming Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who is expected to be introduced on Thursday.
This past season, en route to helping the Rams win the Super Bowl, Brown coached Michel in Los Angeles, reuniting the two after their time together in Athens. He was also reunited with quarterback Matthew Stafford, who the Rams traded for in the offseason. Brown and Stafford were teammates in Athens from 2006-07.
Brown worked as South Carolina’s running backs coach in 2019 and was the University of Miami’s offensive coordinator from 2016-2018.
During Brown’s career at Georgia, he rushed for 2,646 yards and 23 touchdowns on 529 touches.
The #Vikings plan to interview #Rams assistant head coach/RBs coach Thomas Brown for their offensive coordinator job, per source.
Brown — a rising assistant who interviewed for the #Dolphins’ head coaching job — is also a candidate to replace Kevin O’Connell as OC in L.A.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 16, 2022