The New Coach the Vikings May (Should?) Consider Hiring
Lately, so much of the attention has been on who the Vikings may lose from their coaching staff (something that finally came to fruition with Grant Udinski heading to the AFC). What about who could be added?
A coaching staff is, after all, a two-way street, a collection of talent that often sees both subtractions and additions. To that end, there’s someone who makes a decent bit of sense to add: former Patriots head coach (and player) Jerod Mayo. No, he won’t replace Udinski, but he could be a nice addition to what is already an impressive cluster of coaches on the defensive side of the ball.
The Vikings and The New Coach
There’s a connection between Mr. Mayo and the Minnesota Vikings.
Most prominently, there’s an established relationship between Kevin O’Connell and Mayo. Prior to becoming coaches, O’Connell and Mayo played for the New England Patriots. In fact, they arrived in the NFL as part of the same draft class. The 2008 draft crew involved Mayo getting scooped up at No. 10 and O’Connell getting scooped up at No. 94.
A while ago, O’Connell was asked about this connection.
Consider what O’Connell had to say about the linebacker who arrived in Foxborough via the draft class that saw Minnesota’s head coach snagged in the 3rd Round. O’Connell’s thoughts: “I think the world of Jerod, always have. Tried to possibly work with him multiple times over my coaching journey just cause of the leader he is.”
Not long afterwards, O’Connell then reflected on his rookie season, noting that Mayo was one of the “alphas” who helped to lead.
Still only 38, Jerod Mayo may yet be ascending as a coach. Yes, his initial foray into head coaching didn’t work out as well as he had hoped — the Patriots went 4-13, good for last place in the AFC East — but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad coach. Rather, it means that there’s now an opportunity for him to work elsewhere, perhaps benefiting from a change of scenery and being able to glean insight from an organization that’s not the Patriots.
Minnesota has strong ties to New England. O’Connell is the most obvious, but then there’s Brian Flores. The defensive coordinator did a bit of everything in his fifteen seasons with the Pats, working as a scout, special teams coach, offensive assistant (for a single season), and defensive assistant.
One could certainly envision a world where Mayo and Flores team up in Minnesota, working alongside each other as they try to push the Vikings’ defense into truly elite territory.
Last season, the Vikings finished with a tidy 14-3 record before getting dismantled in the opening round of the playoffs. Finding a way of translating regular season success into postseason success is of the utmost importance for a franchise that appears to be moving in the right direction under the guidance of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, O’Connell, Flores, and the rest of the leadership.
If Jerod Mayo can even offer a small advantage, then the hire will be well worth pursuing
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
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