The path that led Klint Kubiak back to Minnesota, and eventually allowed him to become a NFL offensive coordinator for the first time at age 33, began three years ago with a Vikings loss to the Seahawks.
Shortly after the Vikings landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport the morning of Dec. 11, 2018, following a Monday night loss in which they'd narrowly escaped a shutout, coach Mike Zimmer ended months of disagreement with John DeFilippo by firing the first-year coordinator. Zimmer gave the interim coordinator title to quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski. When the Vikings removed the interim tag following the season, one of Stefanski's first moves was to reach out to Kubiak, who'd worked by his side as an offensive quality control assistant from 2013-14, about being the quarterbacks coach.