Vikings Assistant Head Coach Conveniently Retires

The Minnesota Vikings did their end of season press conference on Tuesday, at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, where Kevin O’Connell answered a variety of questions with media members for about 30 minutes.

MN Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine is retiring

Before he got to those questions, however, the MN Vikings head coach made a couple of announcements. Among them was the retirement of assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach, Mike Pettine.

Pettine, 60, began in his current role as assistant head coach with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2022, as part of O’Connell’s rookie head coaching staff.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell says assistant HC Mike Pettine is going to be retiring.

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) January 13, 2026

Mike’s NFL coaching journey started, however, twenty years earlier, in 2002, when hired as a “coaching assistant” in Baltimore by then-Ravens defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan.

Along the way, Mike Pettine made stops at eight different NFL organizations, reaching the pinnacle of the coaching world in 2014, when he was named head coach of the Browns.

As is customary most times in Cleveland, he was fired after two seasons in-charge.

Pettine’s retirement opens new title for Brian Flores?

Pettine isn’t young, but he isn’t over the hill necessarily, either. He did, however, hold a title within the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff that could help entice Brian Flores to re-sign on as their defensive coordinator.

Flores is interviewing with the Baltimore Ravens soon, for their vacant head coach position, something head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed in his press conference Tuesday.

B-Flo is also receiving interest from the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys, to be their defensive coordinator. Could this move have anything to do with trying to incentivize him to stay, should he not receive a head coaching opportunity?

Whether it has anything to do with B-Flo or not, Pettine’s retirement indeed makes the Vikings’ Assistant head coach title available to be filled. And I can’t see them filling it with anyone other than Brian Flores, should he choose to stay.