After the 2013 season, Leslie Frazier fired him as the Vikings’ head coach. He hoped he would be able to get a second job as a head coach. He hasn’t.
Frazier, the defensive, was the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator for two seasons after the Vikings fired them. He’s now on the Bills’ staff for his seventh season, but he says he regrets not being able to take up another job as a head coach.
Frazier stated on the AP Pro Football Podcast that he didn’t believe it would take so long for that opportunity to come along after all the success, particularly in Buffalo. It’s frustrating in certain ways, but it’s important to remember that you have control over what you can. I will do my best to help us have another strong defense in 2022, help the Buffalo Bills win the most games possible and position us to compete for the World Championship.
Frazier is Black and the NFL has been criticized for not having enough Black head coaches. However, Frazier stated that there’s another profile that he doesn’t fit. The NFL often seeks offensive coaches and he coaches defense. Frazier was interviewed by the Giants and Dolphins for their vacancies in the offseason. Both teams hired coaches on the offensive side of things.
Frazier stated that in two of these cases they indicated they would prefer to work with an offensive coach. They cited their young quarterback as the reason. “And, I told both teams that even though I am a defense coach, I believe I would do a great job in hiring an offensive coordinator. Because you need the right leadership, there have been many defensive head coaches who have won Super Bowls. . . . It’s unfortunate. It’s extremely narrow-minded to see the head coach only as an offensive man when you have a young quarterback. The right leader is needed to fill that role. You have to be able handle multiple responsibilities and not just offensive plays. This is a bad approach. However, I am not the one hiring.
Frazier, 63 years old, hopes that 2023 will be his second year as a head coach.
