Mike Pettine isn’t unemployed any longer. The ex-Vikings coach is now with the Cowboys.
ESPN’s Todd Archer offers the update: “Long-time NFL coach Mike Pettine is joining the Cowboys defensive staff, reuniting with coordinator Christian Parker. As the Packers defensive coordinator form 2018-20, Pettine gave Parker his first job in the NFL in 2019. When hired, Parker attempted to talk Pettine out of retirement. Now six weeks into the season, Parker has a veteran coach as a sounding board.”
Ex-Vikings Coach Now Helping the Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys consistently find a way to construct a talented football team that underperforms. Most NFL fans enjoy that reality. Presumably, those who call Dallas home aren’t among them.
Pettine, of course, will be working toward correcting the problem. His background is on defense, most notably working as the head coach of the Browns (2014-15) alongside being the defensive coordinator with the Packers (2018-20). His career, though, has been a long one, overlapping with those prime Rex Ryan years with the Jets.
In fact, Pettine overlapped with Brian Schottenheimer in New York, who is now the head coach of the Cowboys. As is often the case, these past relationships matter.
Back in 2022, Coach Pettine got snagged to be the assistant head coach to Kevin O’Connell, a young unproven head coach who had a background on offense. Opting for an elder statesman who has a specialty on defense made a lot of sense for Coach O’Connell, especially since Pettine has been both a coordinator and head coach.
So, a valuable resource for a first-time skipper.
At first, Pettine worked alongside Ed Donatell. The Vikings’ DC for the 2022 was terrible, leading a crew that often appeared disinterested in stopping the other side. Moving on after that season was the correct call.
The pivot was toward Brian Flores, somebody who has reached a legendary status around Minnesota. The defensive coordinator since 2023 is referred to as a “psycho” and as being The Mad Scientist (with great affection) due to his diabolical commitment to all-out, sophisticated aggression.
Pettine, though, doesn’t share that affection.
Mike Pettine was chatting with a Cleveland sports podcast following the 2025 season and opted to plead the fifth when the subject of Coach Flores came up. Apparently, there was some friction between the pair of veteran coaches who specialize on defense. Pettine, then, could be somewhat similar to Javon Hargrave, somebody else who moved on with a poor assessment of Minnesota’s well-respected coach.
The 2-3 Dallas Cowboys are finding themselves behind the New York Giants in the NFC East, stuck at second place moving into Week 6. A major reason why is due to allowing 27.2 points against per game, a terrible number that would sink their season were it to continue.
To contextualize those numbers, the Vikings could double their current per-game average — turning 12.8 points against into 25.6 points against per game — and still come out better than Dallas.
Mike Pettine’s task is to shore up the defense, bringing them up to at least being respectable so that Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and the rest of the offensive firepower have a chance to sneak into the playoffs.
The Vikings and Cowboys aren’t scheduled to play each other in 2026 but a playoff bout is possible.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
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