While the coaching rumor mill heats up, the Minnesota Vikings are caught in a unique position.
Technically, there is no head coaching vacancy for the Purple, but they have been linked with Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, and last weekend reports surfaced that Vikings ownership has been telling others around the league they will make a coaching change after the season is over.
Because Minnesota is playing out the string and holding onto head coach Leslie Frazier until at least the end of the season, it already appears they’re being beaten to the proverbial first punch.
Reports say the Houston Texans, who fired head coach Gary Kubiak three weeks ago, are set to interview O’Brien in the “very near future” for their empty head coach position.
The Vikings reportedly called O’Brien earlier this month, a report that was never confirmed by anyone in the organization but has been taken as fact by insiders.
O’Brien reduced his NFL buyout just this week from upwards of $20 million to just over $6 million, making it more financially feasible for an NFL team to hire him.
He also gave his word to his players at Penn State that he would stay according to a report, though that hasn’t stopped other coaches for bolting for the NFL before.
Frazier said earlier this week he has had no discussions with the Vikings brass about his job security, though he addressed players about the situation, saying he didn’t want it to be a distraction ahead of the team’s final game of the year.
