The usual suspects in the Minnesota Vikings’ coaching carousel include defensive coordinator Brian Flores and quarterback coach Josh McCown. Both men are scheduled to chat with hungry teams about promotions.
Promising Young Vikings Coach Could Leave
But this week, assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udisnki joined the conversation, too, on tap for an offensive coordinator interview with the Seattle Seahawks.
NFL Network‘s Mike Garafolo tweeted Tuesday, one day after the Vikings lost in the postseason to the Los Angeles Rams: “The Seahawks have requested an interview with Vikings assistant OC/asst QB coach Grant Udinski for their vacant offensive coordinator job, sources say. The 28-year-old Udinski has been a vital part of Kevin O’Connell’s operation and clearly on the coaching fast track.”
Seattle recently fired 2024 offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, paving the way for interviews with candidates like Udinski. Udinski is in Year No. 3 as a Vikings coach, coming aboard at the dawn of the Kevin O’Connell era in 2022.
He played college football at Davidson and Towson and became a coach shortly after, joining Baylor as a graduate assistant under Matt Rhule. Then, Rhule became the Carolina Panthers head coach for a couple of seasons while Udisnki followed as an offensive assistant.
That led to O’Connell’s staff in Minnesota, where Udinski has remained. He’s credited with mentoring J.J. McCarthy this season as the rookie recovers from a torn meniscus.
O’Connell said about the up-and-coming coach months back via Star Tribune, “He’s got such an unbelievable understanding, from his background on offense and defense, and his sheer football stamina is something I really admire. I joke with him all the time, ‘Nobody loves football like you, man.’ His mind never really wanders from it.”
In November, Bleacher Report theorized multiple would-be applicants for Chicago the Bears’ 2025 offensive coordinator job, and Udinski grabbed a mention.
“Grant Udinski has elevated his status in coaching circles with the work he’s done during the last two seasons as the Minnesota Vikings’ assistant quarterbacks coach. Minnesota surprisingly finished 2023 as a top-five passing offense despite losing starting quarterback Kirk Cousins halfway through the season to a torn Achilles,” BR’s Alex Kay wrote. “Udinski helped get the most out of unheralded backups such as Nick Mullens and Joshua Dobbs, salvaging an otherwise lost campaign.”
But it could be the Seahawks, not the Bears, after all.
It’s also worth noting that Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold could hit free agency in two months, and Seattle is a reasonable landing spot if the organization moves on from Geno Smith. And that, in theory, would reunite Udinski and Darnold.
Seattle’s offense ranked 18th leaguewide per DVOA in 2024.
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 MIN 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.