Vikings Coach Grabs Sweet New Job
The Minnesota Vikings won’t have full coaching continuity after all.
Vikings Coach Grabs Sweet New Job
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski late Wednesday night, connecting the young coach with a sweet offensive coordinator position under Jaguars’ new skipper, Liam Coen.
The Jaguars’ main social media wrote, “The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms with Grant Udinski to become the team’s offensive coordinator, the team announced today.”
Coen said about Udinski as his new OC, “Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville. He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization and we can’t wait to have him lead our offense.”
Udinski, 28, was a finalist for the Seattle Seahawks vacant offensive coordinator position, too. He also interviewed with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the end, the Jaguars took the plunge.
The young coach 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 Udinski followed as an offensive assistant.
That led to Kevin 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.”
Way back in November, before anything regarding the Udinski coach rumor hill heated up, Bleacher Report theorized multiple would-be applicants for 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.”
BR wasn’t far off, but Udinski will coach in the AFC, not for one of the Vikings’ rivals in the Bears.
Udinski will inherit a decent situation in Jacksonville. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has all the necessary tools to succeed. Coen and Udinski will just have to squeeze the talent from the former first overall pick. The Jaguars also employ a decent running back tandem, Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, along with breakout star wide receiver Brian Thomas.
Jacksonville’s offense ranked 19th per EPA/Play this season.
No other Vikings coach has departed the team via this year’s coaching carousel — until Udinski. Others, such as Brian Flores, Josh McCown, and Daronte Jones, have interviewed elsewhere, but none have received promotions.
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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