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The Minnesota Vikings fire defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after just one season with the team following the wild card loss in which the defense gave up 431 yards to the Giants.
- Donatell, 65, was ejected after Minnesota’s defense allowed 431 yards last week.
- He was first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell’s top hire at the job this year.
- Donatell coached 32 seasons in the NFL and won two Super Bowls (XXII and XXXIII)
- The Vikings will interview the candidates as soon as possible, O’Connell shared.
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The Minnesota Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell on Thursday, an unsurprising decision from the veteran coach after a dismal finish to his defense.
The Vikings ranked second worst (31) in yards allowed in the NFL and fourth worst in points allowed during the regular season. They allowed 431 yards and 31 points to the New York Giants in their wild-card round loss last week.
Coach Kevin O’Connell was hired a year ago by the Vikings and made Donatell their first defensive coordinator, the fourth different NFL team for which he has held the position.
Ed Donatell, was the first defensive coordinator for Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Minnesota said a search will ‘immediately begin’ to fill the vacant ‘critical’ position.
Donatell, 65, has coached 32 seasons in the league, starting as the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets in 1990.
He has also had several stints as a defensive coach with the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders (then Redskins), San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bears.
“While this was a difficult decision because of the tremendous respect I have for Ed as a person and a coach, I believe it is the right decision for the future of our soccer team,” O’Connell said in a statement distributed by the team. .
“I want to thank Ed for his commitment to the Vikings last season, for the positive impact he had on our players and coaches, and for his role in helping me as a first-year head coach lay this foundation.”
Donatell won two Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 1997 and 1998
O’Connell acted as a secondary coach for the legendary Broncos team that won back-to-back Super Bowls (XXII and XXXIII) in 1997 and 1998.
The Vikings, who entered the postseason as the top seed in the NFC North this season, are likely to immediately begin their search for a new defensive coordinator.
Among the candidates mentioned as possible replacements for Donatell are Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine, who was the Cleveland Browns’ head coach from 2014-2015 and the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator for two seasons (2018-2015). 2020).
Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, former Denver head coach Vic Fangio and LA Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morries are other names mentioned in the race to fill the open position.
He wasn’t the only person in his role to be fired by an NFL team on Thursday, as the Miami Dolphins also parted ways with defensive coordinator Josh Boyer.