A look at the connections between the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing coached as a volunteer student assistant at Harvard in 2009 and a graduate assistant at Boston College from 2010-11.
MINNESOTA TIES
- Patriots LB Ramon Humber grew up in Brooklyn Park, Minn. and attended Champlin Park, where he earned Associated Press allstate his senior season.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Vikings defensive line coach Andre Patterson broke into the NFL with the Patriots as a defensive assistant in 1997.
FORMER VIKINGS
- Patriots WR Cordarrelle Patterson was drafted by Minnesota in the first round (29th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. As a Viking, Patterson played in 64 games, making 132 catches for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns. He also contributed in the return game, scoring five touchdowns on kickoff returns.
- Patriots wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea worked for the Vikings as an offensive assistant/wide receivers coach from 2006-08.
- Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly was also on the Minnesota coaching staff from 2006-08 as a defensive assistant/ defensive line coach. He returned to the Vikings as a defensive line coach from 2012-13.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATES
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 2008-13, spending time with Patriots RB Rex Burkhead (2013) and FB James Develin (2010-11). Vikings linebackers coach Adam Zimmer was also on staff with Burkhead in Cincinnati.
- Burkhead also teamed up with Vikings S George Iloka at Cincinnati from 2013-16.
- Vikings RB Ameer Abdullah and OT Riley Reiff played with Patriots LB Kyle Van Noy and OL LaAdrian Waddle at Detroit.
- Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer worked in the same role on Patriots offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels' staff from 2009-10 when McDaniels was head coach for the Broncos. Patriots director of pro personnel Dave Ziegler also worked for Denver in the scouting department in 2010. Vikings co-offensive line coach Clancy Barone also coached in Denver, first as a tight ends coach in 2009 before coaching the offensive line in 2010.
- Patriots OL LaAdrian Waddle played for Detroit in 2013 when Vikings tight ends coach Todd Downing coached the Lion quarterbacks.
- Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing worked in football operations at Cleveland in 2013 when Patriots QB Brian Hoyer and WR Josh Gordon played for the Browns.
- Downing also coached the quarterbacks at Buffalo in 2014 when Patriots WR Chris Hogan and CB Stephon Gilmore played for the Bills. Finally, Downing was offensive coordinator at Oakland in 2017 when Patriots WR Cordarrelle Patterson and DB Obi Melifonwu played for the Raiders.
- Patriots DL Danny Shelton played for Cleveland in 2015 when Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo worked in the same role for the Browns.
- Patriots DE Adrian Clayborn played with Vikings G Tom Compton and WR Aldrick Robinson at Atlanta in 2016.
- Clayborn also played for Tampa Bay from 2012-13 while Vikings co-offensive line coach Andrew Janocko was an offensive assistant for the Buccaneers.
- Patriots DB Jason McCourty played for Tennessee while Vikings defensive backs coach Jerry Gray was defensive coordinator from 2011-13.
- Vikings general manager Rick Spielman worked as director of pro personnel for the Bears from 1997-98 while Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears coached the Chicago wide receivers.
- Vikings WR Aldrick Robinson played with Patriots OL Trent Brown and QB Brian Hoyer at San Francisco in 2017.
- Vikings LS Kevin McDermott and WR Aldrick Robinson played with Patriots DL Lawrence Guy and LB Albert McClellan at Baltimore in 2014.
- Vikings head strength and conditioning coach Mark Uyeyama was director of human performance at San Francisco from 2015- 16 while Patriots OL Trent Brown played for the 49ers.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Vikings QB Kirk Cousins backed up Patriots QB Brian Hoyer at Michigan State in 2008 after redshirting in 2007.
- Patriots WR Matthew Slater played for UCLA from 2004-06 while Vikings assistant special teams coach Ryan Ficken was an assistant special teams coach for the Bruins.
- Patriots RB Rex Burkhead played with Vikings RB Ameer Abdullah at Nebraska from 2011-12.
- Vikings C Pat Elflein was a redshirt freshman at Ohio State in 2012 when Patriots DE John Simon was a senior for the Buckeyes.
- Patriots P Ryan Allen played with Vikings G Mike Remmers at Oregon State from 2008-09 before Allen transferred to Louisiana Tech.
- Patriots DB Duron Harmon played for Rutgers in 2011 while Vikings co-offensive line coach Andrew Janocko was a graduate assistant.
- Patriots assistant special teams coach Cameron Achord was a graduate assistant/quarterbacks coach at Southern Mississippi in 2012 when Vikings OT Rashod Hill was a freshman. Achord also coached Vikings QB Kyle Sloter at Southern Mississippi.
- Patriots coaching assistant DeMarcus Covington was a defensive graduate assistant at Mississippi while Vikings WR Laquon Treadwell played for the Rebels from 2013-14.
- Vikings wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell was an assistant head coach/wide receivers coach at Ohio State from 2005-10 when Patriots DB Nate Ebner and DE John Simon played for the Buckeyes.
- Patriots WR Phillip Dorsett played with Vikings OG Danny Isidora at Miami from 2012-14.
- Vikings OT Riley Reiff also played with DE Adrian Clayborn at Iowa.
- Patriots DL Adam Butler played with Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly at Vanderbilt from 2012-15.
- Patriots OL LaAdrian Waddle played at Texas Tech while Vikings defensive assistant Jeff Howard was defensive quality control coach/defensive backs coach there from 2011-12.
