Coaching Shuffle

Often lost in the news of a head coach being fired is the employment status of all the assistant coaches. At least ten other coaches are likely without a job. The head coach gets all of the attention but there's several other coaches in the same boat. Sometimes those assistant coaches are still under contract despite their boss being fired. That was the case when the Minnesota Vikings fired head coach Leslie Frazier the day after the season ended. All of his coaches were under contract through the end of the 2014 NFL season. Those coaches were kept around in case the new head coach wanted to retain them. The Vikings even denied the Atlanta Falcons request to interview offensive line coach Jeff Davidson.

The Vikings hired Mike Zimmer on January 15 as their head coach. At that point, all of the assistant coaches were still under contract. Zimmer's coaching staff has yet to be officially announced but news of some hires have trickled through. As those trickled through, some of the Vikings assistant coaches still under contract became former Vikings assistant coaches. One by one, those former Vikings assistant coaches were hired by other teams. It was good to see that they weren't out of work for long. Some of these coaches, like linebacker coach Fred Pagac, have been with the Vikings since Brad Childress was hired as head coach in 2006. Others, like defensive coordinator Alan Williams, have only been with the team for a couple of years. So far, most of the assistant coaches from Leslie Frazier's staff have found new jobs. Even Frazier quickly found a new job. Here's how those former Vikings coaches have scattered throughout the league:

Leslie Frazier-defensive coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bill Musgrave-quarterbacks coach, Philadelphia Eagles
Alan Williams-defensive backs coach, Detroit Lions
Craig Johnson-running backs coach, New York Giants
James Saxon-running backs coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
Brendan Daly-defensive assistant coach, New England Patriots
Fred Pagac-linebackers coach, Buffalo Bills
Joe Woods-defensive backs coach, Oakland Raiders

There's some speculation that special teams coordinator Mike Priefer might be retained by Zimmer. I think that offensive line coach Jeff Davidson and receiver coach George Stewart will also be retained. That leaves tight ends coach Jimmie Johnson and Mike Singletary. Maybe Johnson is retained by Zimmer as well. Singletary has already stated that he's not interested in any assistant jobs unless it's a coordinator position. I think that he'll be waiting a while. The most interesting coaching shuffle came at running back. It's not officially announced but it's been reported that Zimmer has hired Kirby Wilson to be the Vikings running back coach. He held the same position with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, the Vikings and Steelers basically traded running back coaches.

All football coaches understand that the coaching life is a fairly nomadic one. I'm glad that the Vikings former assistant coaches, and even the former head coach, have found new jobs quickly. I've enjoyed getting to know all of them over the years. They are all terrific coaches. I wish them the best with their new teams. Except when they play the Vikings.