Brian Daboll? Kellen Moore? Brian Flores? 17 Candidates to be the Vikings' Next Head Coach

The Vikings will have a ton of options as they look for their next head coach.

The Vikings fired head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday morning, ushering in a new era in Minnesota. 

For the first time in a while, there will be new blood leading the franchise. Zimmer had been around for eight years. Spielman had been around for 16, including ten as GM. The upcoming searches for GM and head coach will be critical for the ownership group led by Mark and Zygi Wilf as they look to put the pieces in place for a Super Bowl contender. The Vikings have plenty of talent to build around and could become very dangerous in the near future with the right personnel moves and coaching.

The first step will be finding a new GM, as that person will want input on the process of hiring a coach. But we're going to start by breaking down head coach candidates first, as those are bigger names and whoever is hired will be more of a public-facing leader of the organization than the next GM.

The Vikings could go in a number of directions with their next coach. Do they hire an offensive-minded coach to try and bring some stability on that side of the ball for a team that has had a different OC for six straight years? That seems like the logical favorite after two straight defensive head coaches in Zimmer and Leslie Frazier. But the Vikings could go back to the well with another defensive guy, or even get creative and look to the college ranks or at a former NFL HC.

They'll conduct a thorough search process with many interviews before making a decision. It'll be important to go into that process without having already made a decision on what kind of coach they'd like to hire, instead simply picking the best person for the job.

The Vikings are one of five teams with a head coaching vacancy, along with the Jaguars, Broncos, Dolphins, and Bears. It remains to be seen if the Raiders making the playoffs will be enough for interim Rich Bisaccia to stick around. If not, they're the sixth opening. Given the Vikings' talented roster, organizational stability, and top-notch facilities, one has to imagine they'll be an attractive landing spot for top coaching candidates, perhaps at the top of that list of five or six.

Here are 17 candidates to be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Brian Daboll, Bills OC

As the Bills' offensive coordinator since 2018, Daboll has been the architect of one of the league's best offenses. He arrived in Buffalo at the same time as Josh Allen, helping the raw-but-talented quarterback develop into an MVP candidate. Since Allen's breakout year in 2020, the Bills have finished in the top four in offensive EPA per play two seasons in a row. They're headed back to the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Daboll, who was the NFL assistant coach of the year in 2020, comes from the Bill Belichick coaching tree.

Brian Flores, former Dolphins HC

The biggest surprise of a morning that saw Zimmer, Spielman, and Bears coach Matt Nagy all let go was the firing of Flores. Another member of the Belichick tree, Flores spent three years as Miami's coach, going 19-14 over the past two seasons. He's known as an excellent culture-builder and is expected to get major consideration as a head coach candidate during this cycle. The Dolphins began this season 1-7 but then won eight of their final nine to nearly make the playoffs. They went 9-3 over their final 12 games in 2020 but also came up just short. Flores, a longtime Patriots assistant, is a defensive guy.

Eric Bienemy, Chiefs OC

Bienemy has been a widely-discussed head coaching candidate for several years now, dating back to the explosion of the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid-led offense in 2018. There's a local tie here, as Bienemy was the Vikings' running backs coach from 2006 to 2010 and held an assistant head coach title for his final season in Minnesota. After that, he was the OC at the University of Colorado and the Chiefs' RBs coach before becoming the OC in Kansas City. The question some have with Bienemy is how much he has benefited from the presence of Mahomes and Reid, but there's no doubt that he's been a big part of the Chiefs' sustained success over the last four years.

Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers OC

One of the more intriguing names in this year's cycle, Leftwich has been an offensive coordinator for just over three years. He began his coaching career as the Cardinals' QB coach and interim OC before taking the OC job in Tampa in 2019. After signing Tom Brady two years ago, the Bucs have gone 28-9 with a Super Bowl victory. Leftwich, who was an NFL QB for five teams from 2003 to 2012, is a rising star in the coaching business who has already interviewed for the Jaguars' vacancy.

Kellen Moore, Cowboys OC

Moore is one of the youngest candidates out there at just 33 years old, but there's a reason he's become such a big name so quickly. The former Boise State star QB had stints with the Lions and Cowboys before joining Dallas's staff in 2018. After one season as the QB coach, he got the offensive coordinator job and has been in that role for three years, surviving a head coach change in 2020. The Cowboys have had one of the best offenses in the NFL with Dak Prescott at the helm, but it says a lot that Moore was able to beat the Vikings this year with Cooper Rush at quarterback.

Matt Eberflus, Colts DC

Eberflus has been an NFL defensive coach since 2009 after spending 17 years in the college ranks, starting as a grad assistant at his alma mater, Toledo. The longtime linebackers coach was hired as the Colts' defensive coordinator in 2018. Since then, Indianapolis has had one of the league's best run defenses and has made the playoffs twice. He could be an excellent fit to lead a defense featuring one of the best middle linebackers in the game in Eric Kendricks. For those skeptical of hiring a defensive coach, I will once again say that finding someone who is a great leader and can build a sustainable winning culture is the only thing that matters, not their background.

Nathaniel Hackett, Packers OC

Poaching a head coaching candidate from your biggest rival? It could be a possibility. Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur get most of the credit for the Packers' outstanding offenses, but Hackett has been a big part of their success as well. He's been the OC in Green Bay for three years, and was an OC for the Jaguars and Bills prior to that. The Packers have made the NFC championship in two straight seasons and need just one win this year to get back.

Mike McDaniel, 49ers OC

If Vikings ownership likes the wide zone offense the team has run under Kevin Stefanski, Gary Kubiak, and Klint Kubiak over the past three years, McDaniel could be an option. The 38-year-old Yale graduate has spent the last 11 seasons with Kyle Shanahan, going from Washington to Cleveland to Atlanta to San Francisco. He began his career as an offensive assistant for the Texans on Gary Kubiak's staff along with Shanahan. McDaniel has been a wide receivers coach and run game coordinator before getting his first OC gig with the Niners this season.

Josh McDaniels, Patriots OC

Every year until it happens, speculation around McDaniels getting another head coaching shot is going to be a thing. That's what happens when you're one of the top assistants for arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. McDaniels has been the Patriots' offensive coordinator for 14 of the past 17 seasons. He was hired as the Broncos' head coach in 2009 at just 33 years old, going 11-17 in two seasons. McDaniels then returned to the Patriots after one season with the Rams. Now 45, he has a lot more experience than he once did and is going to get another HC gig sooner or later.

Doug Pederson, former Eagles HC

Wouldn't this be an interesting move? Pederson is a famous member of the Andy Reid tree, having turned a successful run as an Eagles assistant and Chiefs OC under Reid into landing the Eagles' head job in 2016. In just his second season, the Eagles won the Super Bowl (Vikings fans obviously remember what happened in the NFC championship game). Two more playoff appearances followed, but Pederson was fired after going 4-11-1 in 2020. The former NFL quarterback spent this year away from the league but could be gearing up for a return if the right opportunity presents itself.

Kevin O'Connell, Rams OC

O'Connell is the next bright young coach to have success working with Sean McVay. He's another former quarterback who has emerged as a rising star in coaching. Following stints with the Browns and 49ers, O'Connell went to Washington and became their offensive coordinator in 2019 before joining the Rams in that role for the past two seasons. LA has made the playoffs both years, first with Jared Goff at QB and then with Matthew Stafford this season. O'Connell was Kirk Cousins' QB coach in his final year in Washington in 2017.

Todd Bowles, Buccaneers DC

The Bucs have not one, but two coordinators who are expected to receive serious consideration for head coach vacancies. Bowles, a defensive coach, began his NFL career as a Jets assistant in 2000. He got his first DC job with the Cardinals in 2014, then was hired as the Jets' head coach two years later. Bowles went 10-6 in his first season with New York but struggled after that. However, his defenses in Tampa over the past three seasons have been fantastic; Bowles and his unit shut down Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl last year. He's going to get another shot to lead a team.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State HC

There are several college coaches who could potentially make the move to the NFL this year. Jim Harbaugh is perhaps the leading candidate, but I don't get any sense that he'll come to Minnesota. David Shaw and Ryan Day are possibilities. This tweet about the Vikings being linked to Lane Kiffin is worth noting. But the one I'll throw out here is Campbell, who has received major NFL buzz over the past couple years. In 2016, he took over an Iowa State program that hadn't won eight games in a season since 2000. After a slow year one, Campbell has led the Cyclones to five straight winning seasons, including three eight-win campaigns. Campbell just signed a big extension with Iowa State, but that wouldn't stop him from taking an NFL job if he wanted to.

Todd Downing, Titans OC

Here's the best local angle, if you want one. Downing was born in Eden Prairie, went to the University of Minnesota, and got his start in the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the Vikings in 2005. He then worked his way up the ladder with the Rams, Lions, Bills, and Raiders, spending one season as the Raiders' OC in 2017. Downing's next stop? Back to the Vikings as the tight ends coach in 2018. He then took the same role with the Titans and spent this year as their OC. Tennessee is the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and Downing's offense played a major role in that.

Greg Roman, Ravens OC

One of the most well-known offensive coordinators in the NFL right now, Roman designed the offense that helped Lamar Jackson win MVP in 2019. He has plenty of experience, having previously been the OC for the 49ers and Bills. Even when Jackson has been hurt this year, Roman has gotten good results out of Tyler Huntley at QB. If the Vikings want to shake things up with their offense, Roman could be an intriguing option. He can modify his scheme to fit his personnel, so it's not like he would need an ultra-mobile QB to have success.

Jerod Mayo, Patriots ILBs coach

Mayo is worth mentioning as a longshot. The 35-year-old former Patriots LB has been a coach with New England for just three seasons and hasn't even been a coordinator yet, but he's been drawing rave reviews and seems like a future coaching star. The Vikings should be exploring all of their options, including a guy like Mayo.

Jim Caldwell, former Colts and Lions HC

Another longshot is Caldwell, who really should've gotten another HC job by now. The longtime college and NFL coach went 14-2 in his first season as a head coach in 2009, leading the Colts to the Super Bowl. Two years later, they went 2-14 without Peyton Manning and he was fired. But Caldwell had remarkable success with the Lions from 2014-17, going 36-28 with two playoff appearances and just one losing season. Detroit fired him for some reason and hasn't won more than six games since. Caldwell is 67 and hasn't coached since 2019, but he's worth keeping an eye on.

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