Ex-Vikings Coach Is Now Evidently a Quasi-Genius
The New Orleans Saints hired former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak right after the Super Bowl. Kubiak served as the San Francisco 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023 and will take over as offensive boss in New Orleans next season.
Ex-Vikings Coach Is Now Evidently a Quasi-Genius
And apparently, unbeknownst to Vikings fans, Kubiak has one of the best schemes in the NFL at the moment.
That’s the word from Kubiak’s new employer, Saints head coach Dennis Allen. The New Orleans head coach enters a pivotal Year No. 3 and almost has to nail the Kubiak hire to ensure job security beyond 2024.
On Kubiak’s alleged brilliance, Allen told NFL.com this week, “I felt like Klint Kubiak was obviously the person of choice. I’ve known Klint for a long time. I feel like I’ve known the family for probably over 20, 30 years. I remember watching Klint’s dad, Gary, play quarterback back at Texas A&M growing up. I feel like I’ve known this family. I feel like I’ve known this scheme for a long time. And I feel like this is the best scheme that gives your players the best chance to have success that’s going in the National Football League right now.”
Kubiak’s new gig is his fourth job in the last four seasons. The father Kubiak, Gary, mentioned by Allen, was also attached to the Vikings’ coaching staff from 2019 to 2020. New Orleans parted ways with 2023 offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. on January 16th after a disappointing 9-8 playoffless season.
ESPN reported in January that Kubiak was in line to interview with the Bears for their offensive coordinator opening. He also chatted with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers about OC gigs during the 2024 coaching carousel. During the failed Nathaniel Hackett experiment in Denver, Kubiak held the same job with the Broncos in 2022 (passing game coordinator). Before that, Kubiak offensively coordinated the Vikings for one season in 2021. which was Mike Zimmer’s final in Minnesota.
Allen added about his tweaked coaching staff, “I think we’ve put together an outstanding staff with a little bit of mixture of older veteran coaches that have been there done that, with some younger, progressive-mindset type of guys, and I think it’s gonna be a great mixture for our organization.”
Kubiak was also the Vikings’ quarterback coach in 2019 and 2020 and offensive quality control coach from 2013 to 2014. In between, he was an offensive assistant in Denver (2016-2018). As the Vikings’ offensive bossman in 2021, Kubiak’s offense ranked 17th leaguewide per offensive EPA/Play. Then, in Denver, the Broncos offense, plus Russell Wilson, sunk to 27th in the NFL in the same metric.
It’s worth noting that Kubiak helped propel Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to one of his best seasons as a pro, if not the best.
The Saints have around +7,500 odds to win the Super Bowl in 2024, the 11th-least likely in the NFL.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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