When the Minnesota Vikings hired head coach Kevin O’Connell, he brought along some of his former co-workers from the Los Angeles Rams. The two most notable ones were offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and special teams coordinator Matt Daniels.
He tried to bring over more coaches but he was blocked by his former boss Sean McVay. On Tuesday, it was announced that McVay would allow his assistants to pursue other opportunities without resistance, which means that the Rams will not block them from taking other opportunities.
#Rams coach Sean McVay, whose future is in limbo, has permitted his coaching staff to search for other jobs without resistance, per sources. McVay said in a staff meeting that he doesn’t know what he will do next year and won’t block those who want to explore opportunities
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 10, 2023
This could mean a lot of things for the Vikings. With the struggles on defense, will defensive coordinator Ed Donatell retain his job? The Vikings did have Raheem Morris, the Rams current defensive coordinator, as a head coaching finalist. If the Vikings move on from Donatell, Morris could be a prime candidate to take his place.
The likely assistants that O’Connell will target are the lower level ones. One that he tried to interview to bring over with him was Rams defensive backs assistant Jonathan Cooley but the Rams blocked O’Connell from interviewing him for what would have been a lateral move.
One update here: The Rams were able to block O’Connell and the Vikings’ interview request for DBs assistant Jonathan Cooley in effort to keep him on staff. Even more important with Evero departing. https://t.co/oSuMLLtft5
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) February 17, 2022
Now with the restrictions lifted, this could be the path for O’Connell.