Grant

Udinski

Campanile was the only one of the two that was still up for a head-coaching gig after the Bills picking Joe Brady sealed off Udinski’s final interview opportunity. Campanile will apparently say no to the Cardinals and move ahead with the Jaguars for another season. Jacksonville’s first-place schedule and sudden improvements will make them a target for regression, but keeping coaching staff continuity should help ward some of it off.

Udinski becomes the third coach to remove his name from consideration for the Browns job, joining Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter. Udinski was a finalist for the job, but is now eyeing the Bills as a potential landing spot for his first head coaching gig. If he doesn’t join the Bills, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Udinski and the Jaguars already have a new deal in place for him to remain with the team. Udinski, 30, has emerged as one of the hottest names on the market and would become the youngest head coach in NFL history if hired by the Bills.

The 30-year-old Udinski remains one of the hottest names this coaching cycle after he helped lead the Jaguars to the sixth-most points scored and 11th-most offensive yards in his first season. Before joining the Jaguars, Udinski spent three seasons with the Vikings under head coach Kevin O’Connell. If he were to land a head-coaching job, Udinski would become the youngest head coach in NFL history.

Udinski, 30, completed his second interview with the Browns today. The young candidate piloted an offense that ranked top-12 in yards per pass play (7.15) during the regular season. He is also expected to interview for the Bills’ head-coaching vacancy.

According to Fowler, “interest in Udinski is real” for the Browns. Fowler said the Browns are still expected to meet with Rams assistant Nate Scheelhaase next week before making any decisions, but Udinski will have a good chance to make an early impression. In his first season as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator, Udinski helped lead the team to the sixth-highest scoring offense in the league, while Trevor Lawrence enjoyed a career-year that put him in the MVP conversation. Udinski turned 30 earlier this month and would become the youngest head coach hired in NFL history should the Browns give him the job.

Schultz also said that there is “a good chance they add another name or two to the mix” and described the situation as “very fluid,” which seemingly runs counter to Udinski’s “finalist” label. Regardless, the Browns reportedly prefer to hire a young head coach. Udinski, 30, will have his second interview with the team on Friday.

Udinski, 30, is just a few months older than Bills QB Josh Allen and would represent a massive shift for Buffalo after the team fired longtime defense-oriented head coach Sean McDermott, one of the most successful coaches in the NFL over the past decade. Udinski has interviewed for the Browns head coaching job after a 2025 season in which he helped make Jacksonville’s offense one of the most productive in football. Udinski would make for an interesting hire if the Bills are ready to get back to the pass-first approach that made them lethal in 2020 and 2021.

Udinski previously discussed the opening with Cleveland via a virtual interview. He will now meet with the Browns’ bigwigs in-person, meaning he is one of the leading candidates for the job. Browns DC Jim Schwartz and Ravens OC Todd Monken are also scheduled for in-person interviews. Udinski is undoubtedly the highest-ceiling hire Cleveland could make. The 30-year-old offensive mind just helped Trevor Lawrence post career-high numbers across the board, including 38 total touchdowns. Udinski is also the least proven of the finalists, as he only held his current role for one season and did not actually call the plays for the Jaguars.

Previously on Kevin O’Connell’s staff with Minnesota, Udinski took over as Jaguars offensive coordinator last offseason and appears to be on a rocket ship up the coaching ranks. The Jaguars struggled at the beginning of season, but eventually ended the year as one of the better offenses in the NFL. Udinski has no real playcalling experience as Liam Coen was Jacksonville’s playcaller and the (sigh) 30-year-old had never been higher than a lower level assistant prior to the 2024 season.

Udinski spent the last three seasons with the Vikings, working as assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024. The emergence of Sam Darnold with the 14-3 Vikings brought him into the light and led to multiple offensive coordinator interviews this hiring cycle. The Jaguars, with newly hired head coach Liam Coen, were the last to interview Udinski. With Jacksonville now officially announcing his hire, Udinski joins Coen and Trevor Lawrence as the team starts to build its offense.