Minnesota Vikings announce 9 additions to Kevin O’Connell’s coaching staff
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell of the Denver Broncos looks on before an NFL preseason game at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-3. ((Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings will introduce Kevin O’Connell as the team’s next head coach at an introductory news conference Thursday afternoon at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, an event you can watch on Fox 9 online.
Thursday morning, the team announced nine additions to O’Connell’s coaching staff:
- Brian Angelichio – Tight Ends/Passing Game Coordinator
- Ed Donatell – Defensive Coordinator
- Jerrod Johnson – Assistant Quarterbacks
- Chris Kuper – Offensive Line
- Curtis Modkins – Running Backs/Running Game Coordinator
- Chris O’Hara – Quarterbacks Coach
- Mike Pettine – Assistant Head Coach
- Justin Rascati – Assistant Offensive Line
- Chris Rumph – Defensive Line
The two most notable names on the staff are Donatell and Pettine. Donatell is entering his 32nd season in the NFL and has been in the playoffs 13 times, three times in the Super Bowl, as a coach. That includes appearing in consecutive Super Bowl games with the Denver Broncos in 1997 and 1998.
Donatell, 65, has 10 years of experience as a defensive coordinator in the NFL and 31 years in coaching overall.
Donatell spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Broncos. This past season, the Broncos finished eighth in the NFL in points allowed and third in points allowed. The Vikings are coming off a 2021 season where they had the seventh-worst rushing defense in the NFL, and gave up more than 100 points during the season in the final two minutes of the first half or regulation.
It will be Donatell’s fourth stint as a defensive coordinator, having also run defenses in Green Bay and Atlanta before Denver.
Pettine joins the Vikings having worked with O’Connell twice in his career. O’Connell played for Pettine with the New York Jets, and O’Connell got his first coaching job with Pettine as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Pettine is entering his 21st NFL season and has been a coach for 28 years. He spent last season as a senior defensive assistant for the Chicago Bears, and was the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator from 2018-20.
In addition to Thursday’s coaching additions, the Vikings are also expected to keep wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell on staff. Under McCardell, Justin Jefferson made his second straight Pro Bowl and made NFL history for receiving yards in his first two seasons. He came just 17 yards short this year of Randy Moss’s single season record, finishing with 108 catches for 1,616 yards.