Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips recently pleaded guilty to a careless driving charge stemming from a December DWI arrest. He has now received team discipline as a result of the matter.
Phillips has been given a three-week suspension from the Vikings, as detailed by Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The ban will take effect immediately, keeping him sidelined for the beginning of Minnesota’s offseason program. Phillips will be eligible to return in time for the start of the draft.
As Goessling adds, the length of the suspension matches that which players receive for first infractions in DWI cases. As a result, the league is unlikely to issue any further punishment in this instance. Phillips will now be forced to miss the early stages of the Vikings’ offensive playbook installation – something of particular interest given the absence of quarterback Kirk Cousins – as well as the team’s final draft preparations including in-person evaluations of prospects.
Phillips, 45, is set to begin his third season his current role. He worked on the Rams’ staff from 2019-21, serving as the team’s tight ends coach. When Kevin O’Connell was hired to become the Vikings’ head coach, Phillips followed him from Los Angeles to Minnesota. The latter’s current posting is his first OC gig (one which does not include play-calling duties) at the college or NFL level.
The Vikings posted a top-eight finish in both total and scoring offense in 2022, but Cousins’ Achilles tear resulted in a step back last offseason. Regardless of whether or not a new signal-caller is drafted later this month, the unit will be worth watching closely in 2024. Phillips will be a key member of the efforts to rebound on offense, but he will be away from the team temporarily.