Minnesota Vikings lose important assistant, which could be a blessing in disguise for Kevin O’Connell

The offense was the worst in team history this century, and Kevin O’Connell has another hole to fill

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings are in need of a new tight ends coach and passing game coordinator as Brian Angelichio accepted the title of offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Angelichio will be working under head coach Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh, but he won’t be calling plays for the Steelers. He was the second option for McCarthy, as Scott Tolzien decided to stay with the New Orleans Saints as their quarterbacks coach.

Pittsburgh Steelers hire Brian Angelichio as offensive coordinator

Angelichio leaves the Minnesota Vikings after four years as the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator. He played college football at St. Lawrence from 1991 to 1994 before becoming a coach in 1995. He stayed in the northeast through 2011 when Greg Schiano brought Angelichio to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the tight ends coach. He spent the next 14 seasons in the NFL and has served as tight ends coach since joining the University of Pittsburgh in 2006.

The move for Angelichio makes sense, as he gets a promotion with the ability to grow under McCarthy. Under Angelichio, the Vikings had an explosive passing offense with creative downfield play design, and they weren’t afraid to attack at any point in the drive.

The Vikings have a couple of interesting options to replace him in-house.

  • Offensive assistant Ben Ellefson, who played tight end for the team across multiple seasons.
  • Wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell could take over solely as passing game coordinator.
  • Senior offensive assistant Chris O’Hara has been with the team for all four seasons under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
  • Assistant wide receivers coach Tony Sorrentino has been with the team for four seasons and has done a good job with the unit under Keenan McCardell.
  • Assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Jordan Traylor took over Grant Udinski’s title and role last season, and could be in line for a promotion.

Even with all of the in-house options, O’Connell might be better looking outside of the organization, like he did with Frank Smith.

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