Seahawks Request Interview With Rising Vikings Assistant Coach
Following the conclusion of their season on Monday night, the Seattle Seahawks have turned in a request to interview one of the Minnesota Vikings top young assistants for their vacant offensive coordinator position.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Seattle requested to speak with Minnesota assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterback coach Grant Udinski. Per league rules, the Vikings should not be able to block him from interviewing, as being hired as an offensive coordinator for another team would be a clear promotion for him.
Previously playing college football at Davidson and Towson, Udinski jumped right into coaching in 2019 as a graduate assistant for coach Matt Rhule at Baylor. He followed Rhule to the Panthers in 2020, spending two years with the organization as an offensive assistant.
After Kevin O'Connell took over as the Vikings new coach in 2022, he hired Udinski as an assistant to the head coach with special project responsibilities. Excelling that role, he earned a promotion to assistant offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in 2023, holding the positions over the past two seasons.
Despite being just 28 years old, Udinski has already built an impressive resume, including transforming journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold into a Pro Bowl signal caller this season. The former top-10 pick enjoyed a breakout year running O'Connell's offense, throwing for 4,319 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns to lead Minnesota back to the postseason with 14 regular season wins.
The decision to request an interview with Udinski creates some interesting potential storylines for the Seahawks, who may have a tough decision to make regarding starting quarterback Geno Smith's future. Carrying a $44.5 million cap hit in the final year of his current contract, it remains to be seen whether the team plans to extend him or potentially move a different direction under center.
If they choose to do the latter and move forward without Smith, hiring Udinski would open the door wide open for Darnold to replace him in the Pacific Northwest, as he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 12 and the Vikings have first round pick J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings after missing his rookie season with a knee injury.
Udinski could also have connections to several other pending offensive free agents, including veteran guard Dalton Risner and tackle Cam Robinson if the Seahawks wanted to shore up their offensive line with players the coach has familiarity with.
Thus far, Seattle has conducted interviews with Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley, Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, and Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who met with the team on Tuesday. Assuming Udinski accepts the opportunity for an interview, the two sides should connect in the near future once teams can speak with Vikings coaches.
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