The Minnesota Vikings have dodged one suitor for offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.
The 38-year-old was to interview for the Carolina Panthers head coaching job in Minneapolis on Thursday, reported NFL insider Adam Schefter, two days prior to the Vikes’ NFC divisional playoff game in San Francisco.
Instead, the Panthers on Tuesday decided to hire Baylor coach Matt Rhule.
Stefanski might also interview this week with the Cleveland Browns, the same team who interviewed him last year to be their head coach before promoting Freddie Kitchens from within. The Browns fired Kitchens after one season.
In his first season calling plays, Stefanski’s offense ranked 16th in total yards, 6th in rushing, and 23rd in passing out of a rush-first and play-action heavy attack adopted by assistant head coach Gary Kubiak, the former Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning head coach who Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer calls his best hire in six years at the helm.
Stefanski has been with the Vikings since 2006, holding several positions and working under three different head coaches and five offensive coordinators. One of those OC’s, Pat Shurmur, tried to bring Stefanski — then the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach — with him to the New York Giants after being hired as their head coach in 2017 from Minnesota, but the Vikings blocked the hire.
KWSN will broadcast the Vikings-49ers game on Saturday, starting with the pregame at 2:30 from the Vikings Radio Network.
VRN analyst Ben Leber joins Craig & John on Wednesday at 5:00.
The Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen joins the show every Friday at 4:40.
