Former Vikings Coach Interviews for Saints OC Job
Dustin Baker
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The Chicago Bears gave him a look for offensive coordinator, and now the New Orleans Saints will follow suit.
He’s Klint Kubiak, the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator from the 2022 campaign.
Former Vikings Coach Interviews for Saints OC Job
NewOrleans.Football‘s Nick Underhill tweeted Tuesday, “Brian Griese and Klint Kubiak have also interviewed for Saints OC job, per source.”
New Orleans parted ways with 2023 offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. on January 16th after a disappointing 9-8 playoffs-less season.
ESPN reported about two weeks ago that Kubiak was in line to interview with the Bears for their offensive coordinator, so that’s two high-profile interviews for the young coach. The 36-year-old serves as the current San Francisco 49ers’ passing game coordinator and held the same job in Denver last season during the failed Nathaniel Hackett experiment. Before that, Kubiak offensively coordinated the Vikings for one season, which was Mike Zimmer’s final in Minnesota.
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).
The New York Jets chatted with Kubiak about their offensive coordinator position one year ago but ultimately chose Kubiak’s 2022 boss, Nathaniel Hackett, for the job. After that, Sean Payton was hired in Denver, and Kubiak marinated in limbo. Not long after, he landed with Kyle Shanahan and the gang in San Francisco.
Kubiak led the Vikings offense inside an underwhelming 2021 season, an 8-9 campaign that led to the terminations of general manager Rick Spielman and the aforementioned Zimmer. Coaching staffs are rarely retained when a new coach takes over, and with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings two years ago, Kubiak was no different.
Vikings fans aimed ire at Kubiak in 2021 for lackluster offensive performance, so they used social media to chuckle at the Bears’ interview choice earlier this month.
With San Francisco, the 49ers passing attack ranks tops in the NFL per DVOA — probably why Kubiak is getting sniffs in the current coach carousel.
With the Vikings 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. The 2022 campaign was inefficient per offense in Denver, so Kubiak and his boss, Hackett, were subsequently not retained.
Kubiak is the son of former Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. The father Kubiak led the Broncos to a Super Bowl triumph in 2015 as head coach.
Under Carmichael Jr., Saints quarterback Derek Carr passed for 3,878 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He ranked 15th leaguewide per EPA+CPOE. The next offensive coordinator will hope to drag that mark closer to the Top 10.
Kubiak will turn 37 next month.
Vikings 2023 “Hero” Is Unsurprising
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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