Unsung Vikings Coach Already Drawing Head Coaching Buzz
The Minnesota Vikings were somewhat lucky at the start of the offseason, retaining defensive coordinator Brian Flores after he failed to land a head coaching job. Flores interviewed with a few teams but did not parlay the discussions into a promotion.
One Vikings coach could be in the driver’s seat for next year’s head coaching carousel.
Flores will be another logical head coach candidate next offseason, but ESPN made sure to call out current Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown for the 2026 cycle, as well. He’s an up-and-comer, too, just like Flores, and folks shouldn’t be surprised one iota if he skedaddles next February.
Here’s the state of play.
Josh McCown a Realistic Head Coach Candidate in 2026
ESPN sized up this week the next NFC North coach in line for a promotion after Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn from the Detroit Lions accepted head coaching jobs with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively, this offseason.
Kevin Seifert nominated McCown and explained, “Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. As wild as it sounds, the 2024 season was McCown’s first full season as an NFL assistant coach. He opted against interviewing for offensive coordinator positions, but still got an interview for the New York Jets’ head coaching job.”
“McCown has long been on the league’s radar, having interviewed for the Houston Texans’ top job in 2022, and if McCarthy performs well in 2025, McCown might be able to skip the coordinator level altogether.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold stopped by the Vikings for a year in 2024, and McCown, a former teammate of Darnold, was credited with aiding in his career reclamation. The working theory suggests the McCown could find a head coach job next offseason if J.J. McCarthy flourishes in 2025.
Josh McCown’s Resume
McCown began his coaching career in 2023, hired by the Carolina Panthers as a quarterbacks coach to develop Bryce Young, a rookie at the time. The experiment lasted just one year, as the Panthers cleaned house following the 2023 season.
The Vikings hired McCown soon after, and 2025 will mark his second season with the Vikings.
McCown played for 18 years in the NFL as a quarterback, with this 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)
McCown was at the peak of his powers with the Bears from 2011 to 2013.
Grant Udinski Gone to the Jaguars
Meanwhile, the Vikings already lost one quarterbacks coach, Grant Udinski, an assistant to McCown, to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
Jacksonville hired Tampa Bay’s Liam Coen as its new skipper in February, and Coen promptly lured Udinski from the Vikings to the AFC South for an offensive coordinator arrangement. Quarterback Nick Mullens and tight end Johnny Mundt followed Udinski to Jacksonville.
Udinski turned heads — especially Coen’s — by working with McCarthy behind the scenes during his 2024 meniscus recovery, and evidently did well enough to earn Coen’s attention.
Perhaps back-to-back quarterback coaches from the Vikings will fetch promotions in 2025 and 2026. Stay tuned.
The Brian Flores Mention from ESPN
In the ESPN article, the aforementioned Flores also snagged a shoutout for a coordinator likely to be poached next offseason.
Courtney Cronin noted, “Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. If the Vikings’ defense performs as well as it did in 2024 (tied for first in turnovers, second in EPA/play, fifth in points allowed), expect Flores’ name to once again circulate in the head coaching cycle.”
“Flores interviewed for three jobs last year — Bears, Jets, Jaguars — and has been a head coach before with the Dolphins. Whether teams have the desire to hire Flores with his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and the public fallout from his relationship with Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (especially teams that have young QBs or are looking to draft one) remains to be seen.”
In that vein, the Vikings could have two hot HC targets — McCown and Flores.
The Jets in January
The New York Jets actually interviewed McCown in January for their vacant top job.
NBC Sports‘ Myles Simmons wrote on January 6th, “The Jets have put in a request to interview McCown for their head coaching vacancy. McCown, 45, is in his first year as Vikings quarterbacks coach after serving in that role for the Panthers last season.”
“A longtime quarterback, McCown played two seasons for the Jets in 2017 and 2018. He compiled a 5-11 record as a starter for the club, throwing for 3,465 yards with 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. A third-round pick in 2002, McCown appeared in 102 games with 76 starts for the Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, Panthers, Bears, Buccaneers, Browns, Jets, and Eagles in his long career.”
The Jets hired Glenn from the Lions, as mentioned above, and McCown returned to the Vikings.
Simmons added, “McCown was rumored to be in the mix for the Texans head coaching job a couple of years ago but to that point did not have any coaching experience. Now that he’s served on an NFL staff for two seasons, that has changed. McCown has also done a nice job of developing Sam Darnold — who he shared a QBs room with as a player on the Jets in 2018.”
McCown will turn 46 on Independence Day.
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