Report: Hue Jackson not expected to become Vikings’ offensive coordinator
Hue Jackson may have a shockingly bad record as an NFL head coach, but he remains a candidate for the Cincinnati Bengals’ job and several assistant coaching jobs across the league. According to one report, however, the Minnesota Vikings are not as interested in Jackson as rumblings would indicate.
Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski is no longer under contract with the team and has been pursuing head coaching opportunities, which led to reports that Mike Zimmer could be interested in hiring Jackson as his next OC. Longtime Vikings radio play-by-play announcer Paul Allen said Friday that he is confident that is not going to happen.
WOAH!!!! @PAOnTheMic just said #92Noon @KFAN1003 that he "has it on good authority" that #Vikings will NOT be hiring Hue Jackson as Offensive Coordinator. When he makes predictions like this, he's never wrong. #Skol
— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) January 4, 2019
Zimmer was the defensive coordinator of the Bengals for several years while Jackson was an offensive assistant and coordinator on the staff, so the two are plenty familiar with one another. Minnesota is looking for a new OC after John DeFilippo was fired late in the 2018 season, so that is how the link between Jackson and the Vikings came to be.
Despite his 11-44-1 record as a head coach and the poor relationship he had with No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, Jackson has been a coach in the NFL for nearly 20 years. His good work as an assistant and coordinator landed him head coaching gigs in the first place, and teams obviously still believe he can contribute.