Beloved Vikings DL Coach Andre Patterson Hired By New York Giants
The Vikings' complete overhaul of their coaching staff continues as they transition from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O'Connell. Longtime defensive line coach Andre Patterson is being hired by the New York Giants, as first reported by KFAN's Paul Allen.
Patterson wanted to stay in Minnesota, but O'Connell and the Vikings made the choice to go in a different direction, according to the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling. So Patterson, who also had interest from the Seahawks, has taken a job with the Giants as their defensive line coach.
The Vikings are replacing co-defensive coordinators Patterson and Adam Zimmer with Ed Donatell as the new DC on O'Connell's staff.
On the surface, this is a slightly surprising move from O'Connell considering Patterson is beloved by players, has a ton of experience, and is objectively an excellent D-line coach. But it's also not surprising at all. Patterson is extremely close to Zimmer, so you can understand O'Connell moving on from all aspects of Zimmer's influence and putting together a staff that is entirely his own. Perhaps Patterson didn't want to stay in Minnesota if he wasn't going to be a coordinator.
Whoever is hired as the Vikings' next D-line coach will have big shoes to fill. Patterson has 40 years of coaching experience, including 18 years in the NFL and ten with the Vikings. He is a fantastic teacher of both the physical and mental aspects of playing defensive line, as well as being a strong leader of men.
Patterson was with the Vikings for all eight years of the Zimmer era. His crowning achievement during that time was influencing the Vikings to draft LSU's Danielle Hunter in the third round in 2015 and then molding him into one of the game's elite pass rushers. Under Patterson's tutelage, Hunter went from raw, unproductive college player to reaching 50 sacks at a younger age than anyone in the history of the NFL.
Hunter and Patterson had a relationship that was closer than coach and player. The Vikings' star defensive end, who has unfortunately seen his incredible career slowed by injuries over the past two seasons, tweeted this picture shortly after the news broke:
Hunter wasn't Patterson's only success story. Everson Griffen was a promising rotational player with 17.5 sacks in four seasons (2010-13) before Patterson arrived. From 2014 to 2019, Griffen racked up 57 sacks and made four Pro Bowls in six seasons. Patterson also helped nose tackle Linval Joseph have a strong six-year run in Minnesota, and developed late-round picks like Shamar Stephen, Stephen Weatherly, Ifeadi Odenigbo, and Armon Watts into capable contributors.
Patterson worked his way up through the ranks, coaching at the high school and college levels for 15 years before becoming the Patriots' defensive line coach in 1997. He held that role with the Vikings for two seasons after that, working closely with Hall of Famer John Randle. Patterson was on the coaching staff of the 1998 Vikings — maybe the most talented team in the franchise's history.
Patterson then coached D-lines in Dallas, Cleveland, and Denver before returning to the high school and college ranks for a while. He got his first chance to be a defensive coordinator while at UTEP from 2010 to 2012. In 2014, Zimmer — who worked with Patterson in Dallas — brought him back to Minnesota. Patterson was named a co-defensive coordinator with Zimmer's son in 2020 and got "assistant head coach" added to his title in 2021.
The Giants are getting an excellent coach, teacher, and leader. Patterson's weekly press conferences over the past couple years were always illuminating and insightful. Hopefully the 61-year-old gets a chance to be a solo NFL defensive coordinator someday soon.
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