Grant Udinski to leave Vikings to become offensive coordinator for Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms with Vikings assistant coach Grant Udinski to be their offensive coordinator, the team announced late Wednesday night.

Udinski spent three seasons with the Vikings, starting as an assistant to the head coach/special projects in 2022 before being promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023 and working alongside Josh McCown in the role in 2024.

Udinski has five years of experience in the NFL. This will be his first coordinator role.

“Grant will bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and a winning mindset to help lead our offense here in Jacksonville,” new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, who was the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2024, said in a release. “He is a rising star in this league that has been a pillar of success for the Vikings organization, and we can’t wait to have him lead our offense.”

Udinksi, who turned 29 in January, had interviewed to fill Coen’s role in Tampa Bay. He’d also interviewed for offensive coordinator openings with the Seahawks, Texans and Patriots.

Before coming to Minnesota, Udinski was an assistant for the Panthers (2020-21) under Matt Rhule, for whom he’d served as a graduate assistant at Baylor for one season.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has had high praise for Udinski.

“He’s got such an unbelievable understanding, from his background on offense and defense, and his sheer football stamina is something I really admire,” O’Connell said in November. “I joke with him all the time, ‘Nobody loves football like you, man.’ His mind never really wanders from it.”

One of the areas where Udinski’s departure could be felt most is in his mentorship of J.J. McCarthy, who could take over the Vikings’ starting quarterback job this fall after spending his rookie season recovering from a knee injury.

Udinski was the one designated to answer late-night questions from McCarthy. They sat together during meetings, and Udinski drilled McCarthy on play calls.

“You wouldn’t know he’s one of the smartest in the room,” McCarthy said. “That’s something I really appreciate about him.”

In his two seasons in the Vikings’ quarterback room, Udinski helped the team navigate playing five different starting quarterbacks: Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall, Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens in 2023 and Sam Darnold in 2024.

McCown has compared Udinski’s coaching to what he experienced when O’Connell was his quarterbacks coach in Cleveland in 2015. Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has praised Udinski’s scouting reports.

Udinski is the first Vikings staffer to land a new job this offseason. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores interviewed for three head coaching jobs, and other assistants and staffers, including McCown, have had interviews.