The NFL annual meetings are happening in Arizona, and there are all sorts of stories coming out because so many coaches are in attendance. As a result, each team has some stories to follow, and one that popped up with the Minnesota Vikings was head coach Kevin O'Connell and how much he raved about Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator, Grant Udinski.
Grant Udinski got his start with the Carolina Panthers, but it was the Minnesota Vikings who really allowed him to thrive and spread his wings. After three seasons, Udinski left to become the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and completely revamped the offense, leading them to a playoff berth and division title. It was enough for O'Connell to heap praise on him at the NFL meetings.
“There have been very few coaches that have made the impression that he has made on me,” said Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. “I hired him in a really head coaching assistant role in 2022. Really not knowing, I had really smart coaches that I really respect, who were like ‘hey, get him in the building, and you will understand … His future is so bright, we are probably going to be working for him.”
Udinski was a huge part of the Minnesota offense, which ranked among the best in the 2024 season. He helped O'Connell and quarterback Sam Darnold take the Vikings offense to new heights the NFL had not seen in a long time, and he helped rejuvenate Sam Darnold's image and led him on his path to winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
It was more of the same for Udinski this past season with Jacksonville after he was tasked with helping Trevor Lawrence look like the quarterback he was supposed to be when he was drafted with the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
It is clear that Udinski is a rising star in the coaching business, especially after getting interviewed by the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching position, and the rest of the league also knows it.
