Losing assistant coaches has become a common theme for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams in recent years. Kevin O’Connell was announced as the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings after spending two years with the Rams, and with him making the move to Minnesota, he’s looking to hire a familiar face as his offensive coordinator.
Just a few days after making O’Connell’s hire official, the Vikings are expected to hire Wes Phillips as their next offensive coordinator.
Sources: Vikings expected to hire Wes Phillips as offensive coordinator, deal to be finalized: https://t.co/HWDjT4Rq2w https://t.co/wIPC8PY385
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 20, 2022
While it’s not official that Phillips will be headed to Minnesota, it appears that it’s trending toward him getting a promotion. Phillips, the son of Wade Phillips, has been with the Rams since 2019, spending time as the franchise’s tight ends coach and pass-game coordinator.
It’s extremely common for new head coaches to hire someone from their previous coaching staff to be an assistant on their new coaching staff. Besides Phillips, the Vikings expressed interest in Thomas Brown to be their next offensive coordinator, who is the current running backs coach of the Rams.
With Phillips expected to join the Vikings, the Rams will now need to find a new tight ends coach, along with a new offensive coordinator. Considering that Brown isn’t expected to join O’Connell’s coaching staff, he should remain a candidate to replace O’Connell as Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator.
Aside from Brown, Liam Coen and Charles London are considered candidates to replace O’Connell. Amid the Rams saying they want to ‘run it back’ next season, McVay will certainly have to replace quite a few of his assistants this offseason.