Tag: Klint Kubiak

Report: Vikings name Klint Kubiak offensive coordinator

The Minnesota Vikings have found its new offensive coordinator: Klint Kubiak.

The Super Bowl is now in the rear-view mirror, meaning teams around the NFL will start planning for what’s building up to be a chaotic offseason.

This offseason, the Vikings has had to fill a pretty significant role on their coaching staff: Offensive coordinator. The team made its OC official on Monday morning.

Klint Kubiak has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota as the quarterbacks coach. In those two seasons, Kirk Cousins has had two of the best years of his career. A correlation like that doesn’t always have significance, but it’s certainly an impressive line on his resume. 

Continuity is another thing that the Vikings were looking for in offensive coordinator and they got a lot of that in this hire. The 33-year-old will more than likely keep a heavy dosage of his father’s outside zone scheme, but maybe he’ll come in and spice things up a bit. 

Before taking over the quarterbacks coach role underneath his father, Kubiak spent 2013-2014 in Minnesota as the assistant wide receivers coach and offensive quality control coach. 

His father retiring opened up a chance for the former quarterbacks coach to take over, but Klint Kubiak had ties to Minnesota before even his father. 

The Vikings have a long way to go to get back into playoff consideration in 2021, but they now have their offensive coordinator set in stone for the season. 

Vikings’ Mike Zimmer wants continuity on offense and ‘other things that we can add’

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wants some of the new and some of the old for the offense going forward.

The Vikings’ coaching staff already looks a lot different this offseason than it did during 2020. Minnesota has made some changes already, but there is a pretty big position that remains open: Offensive coordinator.

Minnesota’s offensive coordinator from last season, Gary Kubiak, retired, so now the team has to look for its sixth OC during the Mike Zimmer era.

Zimmer talked about how the offense could look going forward with Paul Allen on KFAN Radio’s “9 to Noon” show (H/T Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated).

“There’s so many things that we did well offensively last year,” Zimmer told Allen, via Ragatz. “I like the continuity of the offense. But I think there’s some other things that we can add as well to make us even better. We had an awful lot of penalties last year offensively, which we need to change. Obviously we’ve got a good run game. We need to really look at the personnel and try to figure out where we can go from here and how we can get to the next step.”

If Zimmer is striving towards continuity with an offensive coordinator candidate, Klint Kubiak and Tyke Tolbert certainly ring bells. Kubiak, Gary’s son, has been the team’s quarterbacks coach. While Tolbert has been a coach for the Giants, he also worked under Gary Kubiak during the Broncos’ Super Bowl run. His hiring would suggest that Minnesota will use a similar offensive style to the one the team utilized in 2020.

Regardless of whether the Vikings go for continuity or innovation with the hire itself, it is a positive sign that Zimmer thinks the team can add things. They should do that, at least, if Minnesota wants a bounce-back season.

Report: ‘Many expect’ Klint Kubiak to become Vikings new OC

Minnesota Vikings QB coach Klint Kubiak is expected by many to become new Vikings OC, according to a report.

The Vikings are in the midst of yet another offseason where the team will have to replace their offensive coordinator.

Minnesota’s offensive coordinator from 2020, Gary Kubiak, announced that he was retiring. That leaves a void that could be filled by an internal candidate according to a report.

Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported that, with Gary Kubiak officially retiring, many expect Vikings QB coach Klint Kubiak to take over as the offensive coordinator.

This shouldn’t come as a huge shock. Earlier, before Kubiak had officially retired, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported that Klint Kubiak and Hue Jackson would both get looks if the Vikings were to lose their offensive coordinator to retirement this offseason.

Kubiak retiring means that the Vikings will have to look for their sixth offensive coordinator under Mike Zimmer. Here are some of the candidates who would be decent fits as the new Minnesota OC.

Report: If Vikings OC Gary Kubiak retires, Hue Jackson and Klint Kubiak will get looks

The Minnesota Vikings may have an opening at offensive coordinator this offseason. Hue Jackson and Klint Kubiak will reportedly get looks if so.

The Vikings have had five different offensive coordinators during the Mike Zimmer era and the team may have to make it six this offseason.

That’s because current Minnesota offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is leaning towards retirement, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported what they were hearing about the latest openings across the league, and the Vikings’ potentially open offensive coordinator spot came up. Here’s what the two wrote:

“One note for the assistant coaching carousel: Don’t be surprised if Mike Zimmer at least talks to old friend Hue Jackson for the Vikings’ offensive coordinator job if Gary Kubiak retires. ‘[Kubiak is] taking some time to mentally think about the season and where he’s at healthwise, and he’ll decide what he wants to do,’ Zimmer said Tuesday.

Jackson is hoping to get back into coaching. Vikings quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, Gary’s son, has done good work with Kirk Cousins and would also get a look.”

Neither of these candidates are very shocking. Kubiak would be a sign of continuity and Jackson is a well-established coach whom Zimmer is familiar with. I think either would be a decent choice.

Report: Gary Kubiak to be Vikings’ next offensive coordinator

In not totally unexpected news, the Vikings will name Gary Kubiak as their next offensive coordinator, via Ian Rapoport.

In not totally unexpected news, the Vikings will name Gary Kubiak as their next offensive coordinator, via Ian Rapoport.

Kubiak fills the role that Kevin Stefanski, now the coach of the Browns, held last season. The 2019 season was the first for Kubiak in Minnesota, and he helped shift Minnesota’s offense to a zone-blocking scheme and that led to a breakout season for running back Dalvin Cook. Kubiak’s official title was an offensive advisor.

The two options for this position, at least internally, seemed to be Kubiak or his son, Klint Kubiak, who served as quarterbacks coach last season for the team.

This will be Kubiak’s third stint as an offensive coordinator. He spent 1995-2005 with the Broncos and 2014 with the Ravens. He also served as head coach for the Texans for eight seasons and the Broncos from 2015-16, winning the 2015 Super Bowl championship.

The next step will be to get Kubiak some more talent on the offense. There’s Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, but this team badly needs a third receiver and some help on the offensive line.

Feels like Vikings offensive coordinator will come internally

With Kevin Stefanski heading to Cleveland, the Vikings are yet again searching for an offensive coordinator.

With Kevin Stefanski heading to Cleveland to be the next head coach of the Browns, the Vikings are yet again searching for an offensive coordinator.

On Monday, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told reporters that he wants to stick with the same type of system (zone-based) in 2020.

While it’s always fun and exciting to get a new person in the doors, it feels like this hire is going to be internal. The obvious choices right now appear to be Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak or Rick Dennison.

The elder Kubiak served as the team’s offensive advisor last season and is the brains behind most of the team’s offensive identity. The younger Kubiak was the team’s quarterbacks coach last season, while Dennison was the team’s offensive line coach.

The Vikings offense had its problems in 2019, but that seemed more because of lack of talent on the offensive line and depth at wide receiver rather than the overall scheme and philosophy.

While hiring externally might be a sexy move, remember the last time Minnesota did that it hired John DeFilippo. That experiment lasted just 13 games.

Gary Kubiak doesn’t have ‘the itch’ to return as a head coach

Kubiak served as an NFL coach for 10 seasons, eight with the Houston Texans and two with the Denver Broncos.

Gary Kubiak is with the Vikings this season, serving as an offensive advisor.

It was a major addition for this team over the offseason.

Kubiak served as an NFL coach for 10 seasons, eight with the Houston Texans and two with the Denver Broncos. Kubiak totalled a 82-75 record. His 2015 Denver Broncos team won the Super Bowl.

Kubiak was last head coach in 2016 when his Broncos went 9-7.

So, now that he’s with the Vikings, playing a pretty big role, does he feel the urge to get back into the game as a head coach?

Not so much, per Chad Graff of The Athletic.

Kubiak, 58, has had some health issues that have hindered his ability to coach, so health wise, this is probably the right move.

Earlier this season, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called getting Kubiak on the coaching staff one of the best things that have happened to him since taking over.

Kubiak, along with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, has the Vikings rankek eighth in points scored and ninth in total yards.

Kubiak’s son, Klint, is the team’s quarterbacks coach.