AFC Team Looks to Poach Vikings’ Rising Offensive Assistant for Key Job

The Minnesota Vikings have some work to do this offseason. While the team features a very talented roster, the problem is that it does not have a concrete answer at the quarterback position. After giving the starting job to J.J. McCarthy in 2025, he struggled mightily, meaning the Vikings will likely look to bring in another option at this spot over the offseason.

The good news for Minnesota is that it has a solid coaching staff intact, led by head coach Kevin O’Connell. While the Vikings haven’t had to make too many changes to their staff early in the offseason, that could be changing soon, as the Las Vegas Raiders have shown interest in assistant offensive coordinator Jordan Traylor.

Raiders Request to Interview Jordan Traylor for Quarterbacks Coach Opening

During his time as the Vikings’ head coach, O’Connell has turned his staff into a hub for up-and-coming coaches. Every year, it seems like guys are being stolen from O’Connell’s staff, thanks in large part to their work with Minnesota. After a rough 2025 campaign, that didn’t happen as much this offseason, but it’s clear O’Connell and his staff are still held in high regard.

Teams across the league are still looking to fill out their coaching staffs, with one team being the Raiders, who only recently hired former Seattle Seahawks‘ offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to be their new head coach. Unsurprisingly, Kubiak is targeting a slew of coaches he’s worked with in the past to join his staff, with one of them being Traylor.

A rising offensive assistant, Traylor previously worked with Kubiak during their time together on Sean Payton’s staff with the New Orleans Saints. While the Vikings did not have a good offensive year in 2025, Traylor is still viewed as a budding star, which has led the Raiders to request an interview with him for their vacant quarterbacks coach gig.

“Raiders have requested to speak with Vikings assistant offensive coordinator Jordan Traylor to be their QB coach, a job with the potential to work with expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X. “Traylor, 33, has worked with Kevin O’Connell, Sean Payton and Klint Kubiak, the latter two in New Orleans.”

Vikings Hoping Raiders Don’t Hire Jordan Traylor

GettyThe Raiders have requested to interview Vikings’ assistant offensive coordinator Jordan Traylor

This is a significant development for Traylor for a couple of reasons. Not only would this be a noteworthy promotion for him, but with the Raiders owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he were to land this job, that would put him on track to work hand-in-hand with Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is widely expected to be selected by Las Vegas with the top selection in the draft.

There is still a lot that has to happen before Traylor can land this job, but his connection with Kubiak seemingly gives him an inside shot at getting hired. The Vikings, obviously, are hoping that does not happen, as Traylor is highly regarded inside their building. As a result, this situation will be worth monitoring over the coming days as the Raiders lock in on their top target for this job.

Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is a Breaking News Writer at Heavy. In addition to writing for Heavy, Owen works as a Content Producer for More Views Media. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli