File this one under the category of things no one thought would happen on Super Bowl weekend. After being expected to be hired by the Minnesota Vikings, secondary coach Deshea Townsend is now reportedly joining head coach Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news on Sunday and cited a “change of heart” as the reasoning for the flip-flop decision.
Pederson, who ruined the Vikings’ Super Bowl hopes in the 2017 NFC Championship game, hasn’t even been back in the league for two weeks, and he’s already back to being a thorn in their side.
Plot twist: Former #Bears secondary coach Deshea Townsend — who appeared set to join the #Vikings staff — is now expected to land with the #Jaguars under Doug Pederson, sources say. No deal was signed in MIN and Townsend had a change of heart. An announcement will come this week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2022
Townsend has worked with the Chicago Bears for the last three seasons and contributed to their team having one of the best passing defenses in the league.
But he found himself on the outs with the team after Matt Nagy was fired and Matt Eberflus was named as the new head coach.
The Vikings are a team that desperately needs help on the backend of their defense, and there was hope Townsend could help them turn a corner.
Instead, he’ll move on to Pederson and the Jaguars, while the Vikings continue their search for a new secondary coach.
