Two years ago, Kirby Wilson suffered serious burns in a house fire. He made a full recovery, returning to his job as Steelers running backs coach later that same year.
Wilson is now moving on from the Steelers.
According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilson will be joining the Vikings’ coaching staff, led by new head coach Mike Zimmer.
Wilson, 52, joined the Steelers with coach Mike Tomlin in 2007. Some thought that, but for the house fire, Wilson would have succeeded Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator in 2012. More recently, there was speculation that Wilson would replace current offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
It’s unclear whether Wilson is leaving on his own or with a nudge. His decision to interview for the offensive coordinator position in Baltimore raised no eyebrows because it would have been a promotion. In Minnesota, he’ll at best be a position coach.
If Wilson becomes the Vikings’ running backs coach, he’ll have one of the all-time greats as his primary pupil. So while it would be a lateral move on paper, it could be a major step up for Wilson to be working with Adrian Peterson.
