Minnesota Vikings have fascinating candidates for tight ends coach, and they could poach from a division rival

Finding a coach who can maximize T.J. Hockenson should be a priority.

AJ Schulte, Tyler Forness
Add as preferred source on Google
Nov 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) makes a catch during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is forced to make another change to his coaching staff. Tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Brian Angelichio has officially taken a job with the Pittsburgh Steelers to be their offensive coordinator.

Replacing a coach that has been in your building for the last four seasons isn’t going to be easy, especially since all reports are that O’Connell leaned on Angelichio during that time. It will also be hard to find a tight ends coach with more experience, as Angelichio has been a tight ends coach for each of the last 20 seasons.

Minnesota Vikings tight end coach candidates

Finding a good coach here is crucial. T.J. Hockenson is coming off of a down season and they are trying to find a way to get him back to his Pro Bowl form and develop a third option behind him and Josh Oliver.

Who could be the next tight ends coach? I spoke to our coaching expert here at A to Z Sports, AJ Schulte, who gives us some really interesting names.

  • Houston Texans assistant coach/passing game specialist Jerry Schuplinski
  • Miami Dolphins tight ends coach Jon Embree
  • Buffalo Bills tight ends coach Rob Boras
  • Detroit Lions assistant tight ends coach Seth Ryan
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant tight ends coach Jeff Kastl
  • New Orleans Saints tight ends coach Chase Haslett
  • Arizona Cardinals tight ends coach Ben Steele

The interesting part of this group is Schulte doesn’t mention a coach who is currently with the Vikings. Even without that, there are some intriguing options for the Vikings.

“The Vikings have options here, but their first call should be to one of Jon Embree or Rob Boras to try and pluck a coach away from the chaos of a head coach change. Embree will not return to Miami under new head coach Jeff Hafley despite years of success coaching tight ends with the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan and the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel. He’s a seamless fit into Kevin O’Connell’s scheme and the two have very similar schematic backgrounds.

“If they go elsewhere, I’ve long been a fan of both Justin Outten and Ben Steele, who have often had strong position rooms on really poor teams that drag down their perception. I would be a little surprised if they brought Ben Steele back to Minnesota, but he was the tight ends coach for the Buccaneers when they won Super Bowl LV, and he’s been pivotal in developing Trey McBride into an elite, if unorthodox, weapon at tight end. Justin Outten is Seattle’s run game “specialist”/assistant offensive line coach, but prior to that, he was tight ends coach with the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers. At each spot, his tight end rooms were consistently productive, and now he has additional experience working with the offensive line and coaching a strong run game to go along with a season of work as offensive coordinator (let’s not talk about the Nathaniel Hackett-led Broncos).”

Related Articles