Vikings Coach Pulls a U-Turn
Every so often, unexpected things happen in the NFL. Vikings coaches aren’t immune.
At first, Jordan Traylor looked like he could get stolen away by the Las Vegas Raiders. Consider the update coming from ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Raiders have requested to speak with Vikings assistant offensive coordinator Jordan Traylor to be their QB coach, a job with the potential to work with expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Traylor, 33, has worked with Kevin O’Connell, Sean Payton and Klint Kubiak, the latter two in New Orleans.”
As a follow-up news updates, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports: “#Vikings assistant offensive coordinator Jordan Traylor, who has continued to be highly sought after by other teams, is expected to stay in Minnesota, sources tell @CBSSports. Traylor’s relationship with head coach Kevin O’Connell a driving force to remain with the Vikings.”
Picking through the pair of NFL insider tidbits means clarifying that the Raiders had interest but Traylor will keep coaching in Minnesota.
Vikings Coach Jordan Traylor to Remain in Twin Cities
Almost by definition, football coaches are ambitious, hard-working people.
Accordingly, coaches tend to jump at the chance at a promotion. Landing a better job means adding responsibility, thus satisfying that ambition while putting more work on someone’s plate. Seeing Traylor decline therefore qualifies as a minor surprise, especially with so many Vikings coaches taking off for different jobs.
Note, as well, that working with a young passer — the Raiders are a near guarantee to go QB at No. 1 — is often the golden ticket for climbing even higher. Is there a better, more compelling case to be given a head coaching gig than proving to be capable of developing a franchise passer? Likely not, folks. Traylor could, in theory, have been with the Raiders for just a short stay.
In recent years, the Vikings’ coaching staff has seen some in-house coaching talent opt to avoid new jobs.
Some modest interest has existed for OC Wes Phillips, but he has remained in Minnesota. QB coach Josh McCown is a promising mind who has a wild amount of NFL experience and connections. He, too, has opted to be choosy, sticking around in his spot with the Vikings.
Even DC Brian Flores could get looped into the mix. No doubt, the vast majority of the attention has been on being stolen to be a head coach, but note that Flores did interview for the Commanders’ defensive coordinator position.
In the end, Daronte Jones — an assistant coach on defense for Flores — landed the Commanders’ DC gig. In the end, Coach Flores is still coaching in Minnesota.
At 33, Jordan Traylor has decades of coaching ahead of him if things work out for his career. Plenty of coaches are still going in their 60s and sometimes into their 70s (again, ambition and work ethic). Being selective makes sense. After all, the Raiders haven’t exactly been the gold standard of stability in recent years, so maybe sticking around in Minnesota makes sense.
Even without Traylor, the Raiders will be showing off ample Vikings influence. Standing atop all others is Klint Kubiak, someone with connections aplenty to Minnesota. He’s working alongside former Vikings Rick Dennison and Andrew Janocko to try to bring Las Vegas back to relevance.
The Vikings and Raiders aren’t scheduled to play in 2026.
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