{"id":81733,"date":"2024-01-18T02:03:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T02:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=81733"},"modified":"2024-01-18T02:03:12","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T02:03:12","slug":"vikings-poised-to-lose-justin-jeffersons-prized-coach-insider-says-kieu-linh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/vikings-poised-to-lose-justin-jeffersons-prized-coach-insider-says-kieu-linh\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Poised to Lose Justin Jefferson\u2019s Prized Coach, Insider Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Vikings\u00a0wide receivers coach\u00a0Keenan McCardell\u00a0is one of the few coaches the new regime retained when cleaning house two years ago \u2014 and despite having the opportunity to coach one of the league\u2019s brightest stars in\u00a0Justin Jefferson, McCardell is itching for more.<\/p>\n

\"Keenan<\/p>\n

KSTP\u2019s Darren Wolfson reported\u00a0on January 16 that McCardell is hoping to land an offensive coordinator position soon to help his ascent to his ultimate goal of head coaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeenan is ready, in his mind, his representation\u2019s mind, to call plays. He\u2019s ready to make that step up that he\u2019s on a path to one day, maybe in the next five-ish years, to being a head coach. That is the ultimate goal. So, the next logical step is, \u2018Hey I need to ascend to offensive coordinator. I need to call plays\u2019,\u201d Wolfson said on\u00a0SKOR North\u2019s \u201cMackey and Judd\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see where some of these defensive-minded [head coaching] candidates land in some spots; what direction they could potentially go. But certainly, keep an eye on that. There are no interviews that have taken place, to date, but let\u2019s just see some of these head coaching spots that get filled, and if there\u2019s a logical connection with Keenan, that Keenan could elevate and move on to become an offensive coordinator,\u201d Wolfson added.<\/p>\n

McCardell, 54, is one of the team\u2019s most beloved coaches. During the regime change,\u00a0Adam Thielen\u00a0and Jefferson urged decision-makers to keep McCardell.<\/p>\n

The Vikings current offensive coordinator\u00a0Wes Phillips\u00a0is\u00a0Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2018s right-hand man. With O\u2019Connell as the team\u2019s offensive play-caller, it seems like not a matter of if but when for McCardell to move on for more opportunities.<\/p>\n

Justin Jefferson Has Made Few Demands in Contract Talks; Keeping McCardell Around Could Be One<\/h2>\n

\"Keenan<\/h2>\n
\n

Courtesy of VikingsVikings coach Keenan McCardell (left) was retained during the regime change after Justin Jefferson gave input on his position coach.<\/p>\n

Throughout Jefferson\u2019s ongoing contract negotiations, the star receiver has not publicly shown any signs of frustration. He\u2019s continued to be a team player as his representation negotiates a potential record-breaking contract.<\/p>\n

However, Jefferson has gone to bat for McCardell before, and if McCardell leaves, Jefferson could be a little more ruffled by the Vikings. It\u2019s not enough to shut down extension talks, but it could influence the smaller wrinkles of the deal that the Vikings have continued to iron out with Jefferson\u2019s representation.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell is unlikely to move on from Phillips considering the duo\u2019s synergy since working together with the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n

Since starting his coaching career in 2010, McCardell has proven to be one of the best at developing pass-catchers.<\/p>\n

He coached\u00a0Stefon Diggs\u00a0at Maryland and helped\u00a0D.J. Chark\u00a0earn a Pro Bowl nod with the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars\u00a0before joining the Vikings in 2021.<\/p>\n

He developed\u00a0K.J. Osborn into a starter after he did not play a single offensive snap his rookie year and helped Jefferson lead the league in receiving yards last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Keenan McCardell Could Follow Longtime Patriots Coach Bill Belichick<\/h2>\n

\"Keenan<\/h2>\n
\n

One coach who could find McCardell to be a good fit as offensive coordinator is Bill Belichick.<\/p>\n

Last year, the New England Patriots requested to interview McCardell for their offensive coordinator position. The Patriots never announced whether the interview was completed, but McCardell is clearly on Belichick\u2019s radar and could follow the legendary coach to his next team.<\/p>\n

McCardell played for Belichick four seasons with the\u00a0Cleveland Browns\u00a0before going on to make two Super Bowl appearances with the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars\u00a0in 1996 and another with the 2003 Super Bowl champion\u00a0Tampa Bay Buccaneers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Vikings\u00a0wide receivers coach\u00a0Keenan McCardell\u00a0is one of the few coaches the new regime retained when cleaning house two years ago \u2014 and despite having the opportunity to… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81733\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}