Another Ex-Viking Gets Head Coach Interview — with Browns
The Minnesota Vikings could start a club of former coaches interviewing for head coaching positions this cycle, with Kevin Stefanski, Klint Kubiak, and current defensive coordinator Brian Flores getting nibbles. And entering the offseason’s second week for some franchises, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski can be added to that list.
Udinski’s name keeps popping up because Jacksonville’s offense held steady, and his QB background travels.
Udinski served as a quarterbacks coach in Minnesota until his promotion to Jacksonville last offseason. He could be a head coach by the end of the month, believe it or not, at the age of 30.
Browns to Interview Grant Udinski
Add Udinski’s name to the list.
Browns to Interview Udinski
The Buffalo Bills bounced the Jaguars from the postseason on Sunday, and Udinski fetched head coaching attention on Monday.
NBC Sports‘ Myles Simmons wrote, “Nearly a decade ago, the Rams hired a then-30-year-old Sean McVay to be their head coach. It’s worked out pretty well for them ever since. Could the Browns take a similar approach in 2026? According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Cleveland has put in a request to interview Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski for their head coach opening.”
“Udinski, who turned 30 on Monday, just completed his first season as Jacksonville’s OC under head coach Liam Coen. Udinski did not call plays, with Coen filling that role for the club.”
This should not be considered a token interview; Udinski is already well-respected and has a reasonable chance to earn the job. Udinski’s main problem is the Browns’ roll call of candidates: it’s up to a dozen as of January 12th.
Success in Jacksonville
Here’s the statistic that got Udinski noticed in 2025:
Jaguars Offense,
per EPA/Play,
NFL Ranking:
2024: 19th
2025: 12th
Udinski, who is also accruing a reputation as a quarterback whisperer — he helped unlock Sam Darnold last year as an assistant quarterback coach — enabled Trevor Lawrence to break out after four decent seasons before Udinski’s arrival, but to a stellar one in 2025.
Lawrence passed for 4,007 yards this season, with 38 total touchdowns to 12 interceptions. His 60.6% completion rate raised some eyebrows, an unusually low mark for a player who passed for over 4,000 yards. Still, Udinski helped nudge the Jaguars’ offense to efficient form, and Jacksonville posted a 13-4 record.
Lawrence said about Udinski last month, “He’s helped me a lot. He’s really unique. I’ve never really met anyone like him, the way he approaches the preparation process, the attention to detail, the game planning in general, the things that he thinks about, the conversations that we have throughout the whole week.
“It’s a very, very detailed process and it seems like we don’t leave — there’s no stones that are left unturned in his approach with us in the QB room.”
Udinski’s boss, the aforementioned Coen, remarked on Udinski a week ago, “Yeah, look, that’s what you ultimately — it’s hard to lose coaches. I saw Sean McVay do it every single year. But it is what you want. At the end of the day, you do want to continue to grow the game, and you want to surround yourself with good people. And that’s what we did try to do here.”
“You want those opportunities though for guys on your staff. It’s hard. It’s not something you look forward to having to ever replace. But I was really fortunate to be in that situation last year, and you want to support those guys throughout that process, even though it might hurt you in the long run a little bit. It might hurt you in some ways, but that’s why we’re in this profession, to help guys get opportunities to grow this game to be able to do those things, and you’ve got to keep hiring good people.”
Stint in MIN
Udinski played college ball at Davidson and Towson and became a coach soon after, joining Baylor as a graduate assistant under Matt Rhule in 2019. Then, Rhule became the Carolina Panthers head coach for a couple of years while Udinski followed as an offensive assistant.
That led to Kevin O’Connell’s staff in Minnesota, where Udinski remained for a few campaigns. He was credited with mentoring J.J. McCarthy last season as the rookie recovered from a torn meniscus.
All told, Udinski spent three seasons with the Vikings, all under O’Connell in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Last offseason, he interviewed for offensive coordinator jobs with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before getting scooped by Coen.
Udinski’s HC Competition in CLE
The Browns have cast a wide net. They’re basically interviewing everyone who raises their hand.
To date, Cleveland has interviewed or plans to speak with these candidates:
- Joe Brady
- Aden Durde
- Jeff Hafley
- John Harbaugh
- Mike McDaniel
- Jesse Minter
- Todd Monken
- Dan Pitcher
- Tommy Rees
- Nathan Scheelhaase
- Jim Schwartz
- Chris Shula
- Grant Udinski
Oddsmakers believe Schwartz will ultimately land the job, with Mike McDaniel and Klint Kubiak as the secondary frontrunners.
Udinski turned 30 on Monday.
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