Oct 15, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; View of a Crucial Catch logo on the helmet of New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) before the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports.
All year long, Vikings fans expected the departure of Brian Flores for a head coaching gig but the NFL said not so fast. He wasn’t even invited to an interview for one of the coveted 32 top jobs despite eight teams looking for a new skipper. For that reason, the Vikings are unlikely to make any major changes in the coaching staff.
Other teams, meanwhile, make some moves. One of them, the New Orleans Saints, kept their head coach Dennis Allen on board but they added a new offensive coordinator after firing longtime coordinator Pete Carmichael. He has since joined his former boss Sean Payton in Denver.
Carmichael is expected to be replaced by former Vikings OC Klint Kubiak, as reported by Adam Schefter: “Saints are working to hire 49ers’ passing game specialist Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator, per sources. Kubiak would join the Saints after he coaches his final game with the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. No deal can be finalized until after the game.”
Similar to the Vikings in 2022 who were waiting for Kevin O’Connell, they can’t officially hire him until after the Super Bowl but the reports basically confirm the move. His 49ers will face the Chiefs in Las Vegas next week. It will be a rematch of the Super Bowl from 2020, a game the Chiefs came out victorious.
Kubiak was let go from the Vikings when they fired Mike Zimmer. After leaving Minnesota, he joined Nathaniel Hackett in his disastrous tenure in Denver as the team’s QB coach and passing game coordinator. Of course, there are some connections as his dad, Gary, won a Super Bowl with Denver and Klint was an offensive assistant there for three years until 2018 before he joined Zimmer’s staff as a QB coach.
It was his dad who took over from Kevin Stefanski as Vikings OC in 2020 but once he retired for good after one season, Klint received the opportunity to take the keys to the offense that featured Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. His offense ranked 14th in points and 12th in yards
Following his year in Denver, he joined Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff in San Francisco as the passing game coordinator. A connection with Shanahan is always a good idea for future promotions league-wide as he is regarded as an elite offensive mind and those affiliated with him tend to generate promotions.
Kubiak landed multiple job interviews in recent weeks and finally received a job opportunity. At age 36, he is still a potential future head coach.
In New Orleans, he will have play-calling duties as Allen is a defensive-minded coach. His quarterback will most likely be Derek Carr who had a disappointing first season with the Saints, filled with multiple minor injuries. But he still produced almost 4,000 passing yards, 25 passing scores, and only 8 interceptions.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt