Vikings Coach Grabs Another Promotion Interview
First, it was the Chicago Bears.
Vikings Coach Grabs Another Promotion Interview
Next, the Jacksonville Jaguars will consider hiring the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive passing game coordinator, Daronte Jones, for an open defensive coordinator job.
The Jaguars hired new head coach Liam Coen this week after a successful offensive coordinator stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And he might want a piece of Jones, an up-and-coming Vikings skipper.
Pro Football Talk‘s Charean Williams wrote Monday, “The Jaguars completed an interview with Daronte Jones for our defensive coordinator position, the team announced Monday night. Liam Coen is building his staff after his introduction as the Jaguars’ new head coach. Jones, 46, is the Vikings’ defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach.”
Jones did not earn the Bears’ defensive coordinator gig, as that post went to Dennis Allen, formerly of the New Orleans Saints. So, Jones might have this one shot left during the 2025 coaching carousel.
To date, Vikings coaches Brian Flores (defensive coordinator), Josh McCown (quarterbacks coach), and Grant Udinski (assistant quarterbacks coach) have interviewed elsewhere, but none have skedaddled.
Taking charge of the Jaguars’ defense would be quite the promotion for Jones after a handful of jobs in the NFL and a high-profile gig as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021. Here’s Jones’ resume since the start of 2015:
Wisconsin (2015)
Defensive backs coach
Miami Dolphins (2016–2017)
Assistant defensive backs coach
Cincinnati Bengals (2018–2019)
Cornerbacks coach
Minnesota Vikings (2020)
Defensive backs coach
LSU (2021)
Defensive coordinator
Minnesota Vikings (2022-present)
Defensive backs coach (2022)
Defensive pass game coordinator (2023-)
If Jones earns the job, he will become the Vikings’ first notable offseason coaching departure, though Udinski, for example, could still earn an OC gig with the same Jaguars or Buccaneers — Coen’s old job.
Jones was nominated as defensive coordinator at the Senior Bowl in 2024, helping him gain national exposure on a visible stage. The maneuver worked. Truth be told, he’s probably due for a promotion. Some even speculated that he could take over as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator if the aforementioned Flores accepted a head coaching job elsewhere.
Should the Bears hire Jones, he’ll inherit the NFL’s second-worst defense per EPA/Play. It’s worth noting, however, that Jones would inherit players like Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, and Foyesade Oluokun.
Minnesota toppled Jacksonville this season in one of its sloppiest win of the year and will play the Jaguars again in 2028.
Jones will turn 47 next fall.
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.
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