One of the more intriguing head coach openings this off-season is in Minnesota, with a team chock full of star power seemingly in need of a simple push in the right direction to get back to their winning ways in a hurry. The current holder of the position, Vikings interim head coach Leslie Frazier, is expected to be the front runner going forward, but the possibility remains that a premier coaching candidate such as Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher could step into the fold and take charge, should the Vikings choose to go down that path.

Coming off an impressive win on the road against Philadelphia last Tuesday night, Frazier indicated that he really hasn’t spent much time with the Vikings ownership and management team discussing his future with the team, but that he definitely is hopeful he can stay put in Minnesota for the long haul.

According to Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Frazier is slated to meet with the Vikings brass next week to talk about his future with the team, and if things go well, and announcement proclaiming him the permanent head coach in Minnesota could follow soon after.

Frazier has stopped well short of publicly campaigning for the head coach position, but it’s clear to anyone watching that he believes he’s the right man to handle the position, and given that he enjoys an overwhelming amount of support in the Vikings locker room, team owner Zygi Wylf will be hard pressed to rationalize a decision to go in a different direction with his next head coach.

That said, depending on just how far Wylf chooses to go in cleaning house in the off-season, Frazier could find himself on his way out the door in favor of a more seasoned candidate. If that’s the case, there’s no doubt whatsoever that he’d be one of the hottest options on the market for teams in need of a new head coach, given his impressive resume and how well he’s performed down the stretch this season with an underachieving team.

Denver and San Francisco would likely headline Frazier’s options should he be set free from the Vikings, but other locations would be in play as well, depending on how many positions open up following next Sunday’s regular season finale.

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