Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Vikings assistant Daronte Jones requested to interview for Bears' DC job

Originally posted on Minnesota Vikings on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 6:37 PM ET

Add Daronte Jones to the list of Vikings coaches (and one executive) who have received interest from another franchise regarding a possible promotion.

Jones, the Vikings' defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator under Brian Flores, has been requested to interview for the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator opening, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapaport. It'll presumably be a fairly wide search in what will be a critical hire for new offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson in Chicago, but the possibility now exists that the Vikings could lose one of Flores' top assistants to an NFC North rival.

The #Bears requested to interview #Vikings passing game coordinator/DBs coach Daronte Jones for their defensive coordinator position, source said. Jones is highly respected having worked with defensive minds such as Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, and Marvin Lewis, among others.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2025

Jones, 46, has coached DBs in Minnesota under both Kevin O'Connell and Mike Zimmer. He was first hired by Zimmer in 2020 after stints with the Dolphins and Bengals. Then, in 2021, Jones was hired to be LSU's defensive coordinator. He was not retained when LSU underwent a coaching change following that season, and Jones returned to Minnesota on O'Connell's inaugural staff.

He's been with the Vikings for four of the last five seasons and is widely respected inside the building. Jones certainly deserves a great deal of credit for the Vikings' incredible defensive performance in 2024, which included a league-high 24 interceptions, most of them by DBs. Minnesota would undoubtedly love to retain Jones, but he does seem to be on the path to becoming an NFL DC sooner or later.

Jones will join Flores, Josh McCown, and Grant Udinski as Vikings assistant coaches to receive interviews from other teams. Flores seems likely to return; he took three head coach interviews, but two of the teams have filled their vacancies and the other appears to be close to doing so. McCown also seems likely to return. Udinski is a finalist for the Seahawks' offensive coordinator job. Vikings front office executive Ryan Grigson was interviewed by the Jets for their GM opening but is reportedly no longer in the running.

The Vikings haven't lost anyone in this NFL hiring cycle so far, but that could still change.

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This article first appeared on Minnesota Vikings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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