Gary

Kubiak

The NFL’s cocoon remains undefeated. Klint Kubiak, 33, will take over for his father, Gary Kubiak, who retired last month after one season as the team’s offensive coordinator and 36 years as a coach in the league (including 10 years as a head coach). Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer reportedly wanted to keep the team’s offense in place, so the younger Kubiak will allow Kirk Cousins and company to keep the same offensive language and concepts in 2021. Klint spent two seasons as the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach after three seasons as Denver’s QBs coach. Cousins, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Irv Smith give Gary’s kid one of the NFL’s best skill position groups. Receivers coach Andrew Janocko is expected to become Minnesota’s QBs coach.

Coaching nearly continuously in the NFL since 1994, Kubiak originally retired due to health issues following the 2016 season. He returned as an instrumental advisor to then Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski in 2019 before being convinced to replace Stefanski in 2020. All in all, Kubiak has spent 36 years in the league, including 10 as a head coach. A Mike Shanahan disciple, Kubiak had Shanahan-type success with the way he designed zone run games and managed quarterbacks. He was criticized for being a little too old fashioned in Minnesota, but he was working under coach Mike Zimmer’s orders, while the approach was largely successful. Kubiak’s second retirement means Zimmer will be moving onto his sixth offensive coordinator in six years. Vikings QBs coach/Gary’s son Klint Kubiak is apparently the initial favorite to take over.

Kubiak’s tenure as Minnesota’s offensive play-caller could end only one year after he replaced Kevin Stefanski. It would be the second time Kubiak has walked away from the game, previously retiring one year after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. Whether the Vikings focus on hiring another run-first coordinator remains to be seen, but 2021 will still be the sixth different OC the Vikings have added in the last five years. Kubiak, 59, also served as the Texans’ head coach from 2006 through 2013.

Kubiak replaces new-Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. Still, the long-time run-game guru had a large impact on the Vikings’ ability to largely control games on the ground as well as Kirk Cousins’ frequent play-action success. Expect a similar approach in 2020: Feed Dalvin Cook all he can handle while featuring Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs in the passing game.

Gary’s son Klint will take over as quarterbacks coach with Kevin Stefanski promoted from interim offensive coordinator to full-time OC. An in-season power struggle is not difficult to envision should the Vikings start slow on Stefanski’s watch surrounded by Kubiaks, but it’s obviously a risk coach Mike Zimmer is willing to take. Kubiak is a longtime confidante of Mike Shanahan, who drafted Vikings QB Kirk Cousins in Washington.

He would reportedly bring longtime OL coach Rick Dennison along with him. The Vikings retained interim OC Kevin Stefanski, but not necessarily to coordinate the offense after his late-season promotion from QBs coach. Pairing Kubiak, 57, with Mike Zimmer, 62, would give Minnesota quite the old-school duo.

Kubiak is still technically under contract with the Broncos -- he has worked in their front office since stepping down as head coach in 2016 -- but Denver will reportedly let him walk for a coaching job. Kubiak is reportedly in Minnesota on Monday, but that would be an odd fit considering the Vikings already retained OC Kevin Stefanski. Jacksonville also interviewed ex-Vikings OC John DeFilippo for their coordinator opening.

Kubiak reportedly has a list of interested teams hot on his trail, but the Jaguars will be the first to bring him in upon parting ways with ex-OC Nathaniel Hackett recently. While the rest of his potential suitors are currently unclear, what has been made transparent is that Kubiak will be an OC for a franchise outside of Denver in 2019.

The Broncos and Kubiak went different directions a mere 24 hours after the two sides agreed he would be calling offensive plays. Kubiak reportedly had different ideas on staffing and offensive philosophies, which led him to opt out of his new role entirely. Denver had previously blocked teams from interviewing Kubiak, so he’ll likely have interested suitors as early as this weekend.

Kubiak spent the last two years in Denver’s front office after a brief retirement due to health reasons. He has no desire to be a head coach anymore and simply just wants to run an offense. GM John Elway prioritized keeping Kubiak as part of his head-coach search, which landed him on Bears DC Vic Fangio on Wednesday. It will be Fangio running the overall team and the defense while Kubiak focuses on the offense. Kubiak has long been a strong play-caller.