The Jaguars have settled on their new offensive coordinator. The team announced that they’re hiring Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski for the role.
“Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville,” head coach Liam Coen said in a statement. “He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization and we can’t wait to have him lead our offense.”
Udinski has only been coaching for six years, five of which have come in the NFL. Following a quick stint with the Panthers, Udinski joined the Vikings as an assistant in 2022. It didn’t take long for him to earn a promotion. He earned the title of assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023, and he added the role of assistant offensive coordinator in 2024.
The coach’s offensive prowess garnered some attention in 2024. Udinski was described as a mentor to injured rookie QB J.J. McCarthy, and he also helped guide Sam Darnold to the best season of his career. As teams looked to Kevin O’Connell‘s coaching tree to fill their offensive holes, Udinski became a popular name on the coordinator market, interviewing for gigs with the Seahawks and Jaguars.
While Coen is expected to have a heavy hand in Jacksonville’s offensive approach, the new head coach has led a limited search for a new OC. Rams pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase was reportedly the favorite for the gig, but he ended up sticking in Los Angeles for the 2025 campaign. The team also showed interest in Chip Kelly and interviewed Commanders QBs coach Tavita Pritchard before ultimately landing on Udinski for the gig.
The new coordinator will have plenty to work with in Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence hasn’t reached the pinnacle that was expected when he was the first-overall pick, but the organization will be counting on Udinski to get the most out of the franchise player. The team also seemed to hit on a WR1 in rookie Brian Thomas, and they’re rostering a pair of backfield options in Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne (barring a trade).
In Minnesota, the Vikings will be losing a significant staff member, but the team should have some coaching continuity on offense. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips is set to be back for a fourth season with the organization, and Josh McCown will be sticking around for another season as Minnesota’s quarterbacks coach.
Ah yes, the most overused phrase in football hires, coaching tree. Go look at a coaching tree; 90% of these guys don’t win a Super Bowl, it’s the first coach who wins.
Most coaches never win a Super Bowl. Of course. But most of the recent Super Bowls were won by coaches who worked under coaches who also won. Bill Parcells won two and his tree has Belichick and Payton. Reid and Gruden worked under Seifert and Holmgren, who both won. And they worked under Bill Walsh, who won. Mike Shanahan also worked under Seifert. McVay worked for Shanahan and they both won.
There’s just too much emphasis on guys from someone’s coaching tree and as we agree, most coaches don’t win a Super Bowl. We don’t hear about the guys who failed (Saleh with the Jets is a recent one) or guys who didn’t advance to OC/DC or HC. I suspect it would be hard to find a read that said Saleh was from Shanahan’s tree after Saleh was fired. The reason for that is because Saleh’s individual skills are the issue, not who he coached under.