A Different Coach Could Be on the Move for Vikings
It’s not just Brian Flores.
A Different Coach Could Be on the Move for Vikings
Indeed, the New York Jets requested permission to interview the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator — amid a very broad search for a new head coach — but that franchise also wants a piece of Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Monday, “Jets have requested head coaching interviews with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and QB coach Josh McCown, per sources.”
McCown is fresh off the steam of helping quarterback Sam Darnold totally reclaim his career in Minnesota, and New York evidently wants to snoop around his interest in becoming a head coach — or perhaps make him the offensive coordinator under the eventual hire. Stay tuned.
The Vikings hired McCown last offseason and immediately paired him with Darnold, who constructed a magnificent regular season in 2024, accounting for 36 total touchdowns and fringe MVP mentions. Head coach Kevin O’Connell often gets the credit for Darnold’s surge, but McCown is right in the mix, too.
McCown coached the Carolina Panthers’ quarterbacks in 2023 before that staff disbanded following the failed Frank Reich experiment. O’Connell served as a quarterbacks coach in 2015 when McCown played for the Browns, so the preexisting connection could be seen when Minnesota hired him last February.
Here’s McCown’s NFL resume:
- Arizona Cardinals (2002–2005)
- Detroit Lions (2006)
- Oakland Raiders (2007)
- Miami Dolphins (2008)
- Carolina Panthers (2008–2009)
- San Francisco 49ers (2011)
- Chicago Bears (2011–2013)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014)
- Cleveland Browns (2015–2016)
- New York Jets (2017–2018)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2019–2020)
- Houston Texans (2020)
And his blossoming coaching resume:
Carolina Panthers (2023)
Quarterbacks Coach
Minnesota Vikings (2024-present)
Quarterbacks Coach
McCown played 102 games in the NFL, starting 76 in a 17-year career. Teams led by McCown were 23-53 (.302) on his watch while he tallied a 98-touchdown to 82-interception split. He was selected in the 3rd Round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals the day after the Vikings drafted Bryant McKinnie from the University of Miami.
Another facet to McCown’s presence in the current NFL coaching carousel could be Sam Darnold’s impending free agency. There’s a decent chance that Darnold leaves Minnesota in March, and in theory, he could end up with McCown elsewhere while McCown offensively coordinated or head-coached the new club. A team would basically keep the band together.
McCown must first get Darnold ready for Monday Night Football, as Minnesota takes on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Wildcard Weekend. Darnold played terribly last weekend in a winner-take-all NFC North showdown against the Detroit Lions.
The Houston Texans briefly considered McCown for a head coaching job in 2022, though many complained because he had never coached at the NFL level and had just retired as a player.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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