Priefer out as Vikings special teams coordinator

MINNEAPOLIS, MN: Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Priefer on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the game against the Dallas Cowboys on December 1, 2016. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Vikings will be searching for a new special teams coordinator for the 2019 season.

According to multiple reports, Mike Priefer won’t be returning next season. He had spent eight years with the Vikings as the special teams coordinator.

The Vikings have had their share of issues with kickers, starting with Blair Walsh. His infamous “wide left” miss at a frigid TCF Bank Stadium in January of 2016 eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs. His struggles continued into the 2016 regular season, and he was cut after nine games in his fifth season. He was 15-of-19 on extra points and had misses in key moments before his release.

Mike Zimmer’s patience in the kicking game grew thinner when the Vikings drafted Daniel Carlson last April. Carlson was a fifth-round pick, was released after just two regular season games. He missed three field goals in Week 2 at Green Bay, two that would’ve won the game in overtime. As it turned out, the Vikings needed that win to be a playoff team.

Priefer joined the Vikings in 2011.

He was the head coach for a Vikings for one game in 2016, which they lost 17-15 to Dallas, when Zimmer had to step away with eye problems. He was also suspended for three games in 2014 for making homophobic remarks during a team meeting the year before.

Priefer's contract expired on Tuesday.