Vikings name Wes Phillips as new offensive coordinator

Assistant coach was passing game coordinator and tight ends coach during the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl season

EAGAN — The minnesota vikings will hire wes phillips to join Kevin O’Connell as the team’s offensive coordinator, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Philips has been with Los Angeles Rams since the 2019 season, and was the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach during the 2019 season. superbowl of 2021. During his first two campaigns in The Angelsthe 43-year-old assistant coached tight ends, including Tyler Higbeewho set franchise single-season records for receptions (69) and receiving yards (734) by a tight end in 2019. higbee he was also the first tight end since 1970 to record four consecutive games of seven or more catches.

Philips He began his coaching career at NFL with the Dallas Cowboys in 2007 as a quality control/offensive assistant before serving as an assistant lineman (2011-12) and tight ends coach (2013) for Dallas. Philips He then spent four campaigns with Washington as tight ends coach, where he coincided with O’Connell during the 2017 and ’18 campaigns.

O’Connell said in his introductory news conference Thursday that he plans to call the offensive snaps during the 2022 season. Philips on Minnesota be similar to the one I had O’Connell as offensive coordinator The Angels in 2020 and ’21. Although the head coach Sean McVay remained in control of the team’s plays, O’Connell helped build and develop the club’s game plan, which in Minnesota will copy many of the concepts used in the offense of the rams.

“We’re going to do a lot of things that are simple for us, but maybe a little harder for defenses to defend,” he explained. O’Connell In the past week. “Simple as things starting the same way, but being different … things that have been seen in our offense in THE that you are absolutely going to see in our offense here in Minnesota“.

Philips is the son of the former defensive coordinator of the rams and experienced head coach of the NFL Wade Phillipsand grandson of the former head coach of the Houston Oilers and New Orleans SaintsBum Phillips.

The vikings already announced nine additions to the group of attendees of O’Connell: assistant head coach Mike Pettindefensive coordinator Ed Donatelldefensive line coach Chris Rumphquarterbacks coach Chris O’Haraassistant quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnsontight ends coach/passing game coordinator Brian Angelichiooffensive line coach chris kupperoffensive line assistant coach Justin Rascatti and running backs coach/running game coordinator Curtis Modkins.

NFL Network was the first outlet to report the signing of Philips.