EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings hired Wes Phillips to join Kevin O’Connell’s staff as the team’s offensive coordinator on Monday.
Phillips has been with the Rams since the 2019 season and was the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach during the team’s Super Bowl run in 2021. During his first two seasons in Los Angeles, the 43-year-old coached tight ends, including Tyler Higbee, who set single-season franchise records in receptions (69) and receiving yards (734) by a tight end in 2019. Higbee was also the first tight end since 1970 to record four straight games of seven or more receptions.
Phillips began his NFL coaching career with the Cowboys in 2007 as a quality control coach/offensive assistant before serving as Dallas’ assistant offensive line coach (2011-12) and tight ends coach (2013). Phillips then spent four seasons with Washington as the tight ends coach, where he overlapped with O’Connell during the 2017 and ’18 seasons.
O’Connell said during his introductory news conference on Thursday that he plans to call offensive plays during the 2022 season. The role Phillips will hold in Minnesota is expected to be similar to the one O’Connell had as offensive coordinator in Los Angeles in 2020 and ’21. While head coach Sean McVay served as the team’s playcaller, O’Connell helped build and develop the team’s game plan, which in Minnesota will mirror many of the concepts utilized in the Rams’ offense.
“We’re doing a lot of things that are simple for us, but maybe a little bit more difficult for a defense to defend,” O’Connell said last week. “Simple as things starting out looking the same but are different … things that people have seen our offense do in L.A. that they will absolutely see our offense do here in Minnesota.”
Phillips is the son of former Rams defensive coordinator and longtime NFL head coach Wade Phillips and the grandson of former Oilers and Saints coach Bum Phillips.
Wes Phillips was one of five coaches hired Monday. The others were: special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica and outside linebackers and pass rush specialist coach Mike Smith.
The Vikings had previously announced nine other additions to O’Connell’s staff: assistant head coach Mike Pettine, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, defensive line coach Chris Rumph, quarterbacks coach Chris O’Hara, assistant quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, tight ends/passing game coordinator Brian Angelichio, offensive line coach Chris Kuper, assistant offensive line coach Justin Rascati and running backs/run game coordinator Curtis Modkins.