Minnesota Vikings have another assistant coach interviewing for a promotion and this one would be a huge hit
Over the course of the first two weeks of the Minnesota Vikings offseason, multiple teams have brought in coaches to interview for promotions. On Monday morning, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Daronte Jones will be interviewing with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their defensive coordinator position. Daronte Jones interviewing with […]
Over the course of the first two weeks of the Minnesota Vikings offseason, multiple teams have brought in coaches to interview for promotions. On Monday morning, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Daronte Jones will be interviewing with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their defensive coordinator position.
Daronte Jones interviewing with Jacksonville Jaguars
This is the second interview that Jones is taking for a defensive coordinator position. The first one was with the Chicago Bears. That job ultimately ended up going to former New Orleans Saints head coach and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Jones, 46, has been coaching since 2001 after graduating from Morgan State University. He spent the majority of his coaching career in the college ranks, with a short stint in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes in 2011.
In his first NFL coaching stint, Jones spent 2016 and 2017 with the Miami Dolphins before becoming the cornerbacks coach for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 and 2019. From there, Jones joined Mike Zimmer's staff in 2020 before becoming LSU's defensive coordinator in 2021, but returned to Minnesota when head coach Kevin O'Connell took over. He started as defensive backs coach before earning the title of passing game coordinator in 2023.
Jones has been a huge factor in the development of the Vikings' defensive back room, especially with the safeties. Josh Metellus and Camryn Bynum went from being day three picks to Pro Bowl level players. Pair that with Harrison Smith, who is still the same level of player despite his level of athleticism waiting in his 13th season.
Being able to keep Jones is paramount for the Vikings, especially with the possibility that defensive coordinator Brian Flores could be leaving for a head coaching opportunity within the next year or two. Jones is primed to take over for him as defensive coordinator.
The Jaguars also interviewed offensive assistant Grant Udinski for their offensive coordinator position, which would be an interesting fit with quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
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