Minnesota Vikings helmet sits in the grass during training camp at Minnesota State University. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Watch for Todd Bowles closely in the Minnesota Vikings head coaching search, because it looks like he catapulted himself near the top of the Vikings shortlist among the candidates they are currently vetting. The Vikings are casting a wide net when it comes to finding their next head coach, as the Vikings have shown interest in the likes of Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer, Jay Gruden, and Darrell Bevell. They need a franchise quarterback and have major holes on defense, so the Vikings could hire either an offensive-minded or defensive-minded head coach.
Bowles is the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, and he’s certainly a coach who cuts his teeth on the defensive side of the ball. He’s also more than just Rooney Rule fodder and could really help out the Vikings organization by being a huge help to their defensive struggles. I wonder if the Vikings are more reluctant to hire a former DC as their head coach after firing Leslie Frazier, but it seems like they don’t have any reservations.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Bowles’s interview with the Vikings went “incredibly well” and that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Bowles ended up being one of the Vikings top three candidates. FOX Sports’s Mike Garafolo tweeted his agreement, and he added that Bowles’s interview with the Vikings was “long”.
Let’s see if the other candidates can top that, but the interview isn’t everything either. However, it’s looking like the Arizona Cardinals could have another great defensive coordinator poached from them for the second straight year.