Browns are suddenly flirting with their boldest coaching hire yet

It’s only a matter of time before NFL fans get to know the name Grant Udinski. Teams are constantly searching for the next Sean McVay — the young, offensive mastermind capable of transforming a franchise overnight and leading it for decades.

Udinski’s meteoric rise in recent seasons have him firmly on that kind radar, and the Cleveland Browns just made it official, less than 24 hours after his season ended on Sunday.

Per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Cleveland Browns have requested to interview Udinski for their head coach opening. The request was made on Monday — which just so happened to be Udinski’s 30th birthday. 

He’s currently the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were bounced by the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Sunday. Jacksonville’s new regime, led by head coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone, acted boldly last offseason by hiring Udinski as their OC at the age of 29.

That’s what it took to pry Udinski away from Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings, and the Browns could go even bolder if he ends up being their guy. If hired during this year’s coaching cycle, Udinski would be the NFL’s youngest head coach by 11 months.

Just to put that in context: Udinski's four months younger than Baker Mayfield.

Browns just requested an interview with the NFL’s next coaching prodigy

The Vikings never wanted to let Udinski out of their building last offseason, according to a report by The Athletic, but with Wes Phillips fully entrenched as OC, there was no blocking him from interviewing with Coen for a potential promotion. 

The results in 2025 speak for themselves. Trevor Lawrence enjoyed a resurgent season, especially in the second half as the Jaguars carried an eight-game winning streak into the playoffs. Coen served as the play caller, with Udinski building off his experience as O’Connell’s protege in Minnesota, working closely with the QBs and formulating each week’s game plan.

The Vikings, meanwhile, felt Udinski’s absence, especially in the QB room. Minnesota dropped from a top-10 passing offense in 2024, to 29th this past season. Much of that can be attributed to losing Sam Darnold in free agency, but per Vikings reporter Alec Lewis, losing Udinski was added salt in the wound.

“One of the underrated and underdiscussed factors in the Vikings’ offensive ineptitude this season was losing former assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski to the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Lewis wrote. “During the season, even early on, multiple team sources explained that Udinski’s absence affected quarterback preparation and pass-game design.

‘We should have done everything we could to keep him,’ one team source said earlier this year.

Last season, the Vikings quarterbacks were effusive in their praise of Udinski and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. McCown brought decades of quarterbacking wisdom, and Udinski knew the ins and outs of O’Connell’s intricate system.”

The allure for the Browns here is clear. They have a bunch of young pieces on offense, including a pair of QBs in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Udinski’s uniquely qualified to help foster growth on that side of the football.

The big question? What kind of coaching staff could the 30-year-old assemble? While it’s possible that the Browns could sell him on working with current coordinators Tommy Rees and Jim Schwartz, Udinski could pitch a staff that led by Josh McCown as offensive coordinator, and Brian Flores as DC. He worked with both coaches in Minnesota. Flores reportedly could be looking for a change, and McCown’s been priming under O'Connell for years.

It’s an interesting one, for sure. Could the baby-faced Udinski be the wild-card hire that transforms Cleveland’s franchise? It may seem like a long-shot at first glance, but there’s a real chance that he’s a more prominent candidate in this hiring cycle than fans think.