Minnesota Vikings: 5 Offensive coordinator candidates to consider

2. Anthony Lynn, former Los Angeles Chargers head coach

If the Vikings were to look outside of the organization and didn’t want to promote within for the offensive coordinator spot, a solid candidate that recently emerged is former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn.

Lynn was fired following the conclusion of the 2020 regular season, wrapping up four seasons at the helm of the Chargers while finishing this year with a record of 7-9 overall. In his four-year tenure in Los Angeles, Lynn compiled a record of 33-31 overall highlighted by a 12-4 season in 2018.

Lynn just turned 52 years old in December and his name is quickly becoming a name that will likely land a coaching spot somewhere in the NFL, it’s just a matter of where at this point.

Prior to leading Los Angeles from 2017-20, Lynn served as special teams assistant with the Denver Broncos from 2000-02 and went on become a running backs coach from 2003-14 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. He went on to become assistant head coach of the Jets in 2013-14 and held titles of assistant head coach, running backs coach, interim head coach and offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills from 2015-16.

The hiring of Lynn could make for a nice change of pace in the organization if Minnesota wanted to go in that direction and likely wouldn’t result in a massive overhaul of the offensive playbook with his inclusion as play-caller. Lynn, like Gary Kubiak, learned under former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan as an assistant in the early 2000’s, so there might already be some similarities in offensive schemes.

If the Vikings are looking for a fresh face to throw into the mix as offensive play-caller in 2021 and beyond, Lynn could and should be a prime candidate to consider.