A down year for the Gopher football team amid the pandemic hasn’t dropped head coach P.J. Fleck’s stock at all, it appears, as there is a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that Fleck is among a handful of college coaches drawing interest from NFL teams.
Pelissero reports:
“A handful of college coaches are drawing interest for NFL head coaching jobs, and here’s an interesting one: Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck. I’m told at least one team wants to interview Fleck, 40, who’s one of the only current FBS head coaches to both play and coach in the NFL.”
A handful of college coaches are drawing interest for NFL head coaching jobs, and here’s an interesting one: Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck.
I’m told at least one team wants to interview Fleck, 40, who’s one of the only current FBS head coaches to both play and coach in the NFL.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 30, 2020
There could be quite a few NFL head coach openings after the regular season ends on Sunday. The Monday after the final Sunday of the regular season is known to be the day teams looking to move on to a new head coach announce firings.
The Lions, Falcons and Texans already have head coach openings, while the Chargers, Jets and Jaguars may also be looking for the a new coach. The Vikings are another team worth monitoring, though head coach Mike Zimmer starts a fresh three-year contract in 2021, so the Vikings would have to give up on that if they were to move on.
Tossing this season out the window seems fair enough due to the pandemic throwing a wrench in basically every aspect of the season, but prior to the global health crisis Fleck had the Gophers on the rise, finishing the 2019 season with a program record 11 victories.
Fleck is due to make $4.6 million in 2021 and he is signed with the University of Minnesota through 2026.
