Former Bills DC Leslie Frazier stepped down this offseason to take some time to recharge after 35 years in the profession, which demands grueling hours.
Frazier’s not done, though, as he has his sights set on making a final run at landing an NFL head coaching job in the 2024 hiring cycle.
He discussed his plans with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. He participated in the NFL’s accelerator program at the May owners meetings and will take time this summer and fall to visit various teams and prepare for hopefully a few interviews.
“I really feel good about where I am,” he says. “I think my reasons for stepping away were the right reasons; I feel good about it. It just gives me a chance to see things from a different perspective, get recharged again and reenergized. I’m gonna go watch some teams in their OTAs, will probably do the same thing again in training camp, go visit some clubs as well. And then in the fall, I will really begin to take a look at what’s happening around the league, make sure I stay up on any new trends, anything that’s changing.
“And, hopefully, an owner will give me a chance to talk to him about an opportunity. If that doesn’t happen, I’m good. I’ve had a good career. I’m good. My goal is to be a head coach. I know I don’t have much time left, I’m at an age [64] where it seems like owners are going younger and younger, but I think I have some things I can bring to the table. We’ll see what happens.”
It was obvious already that Frazier probably wouldn’t be back in Buffalo after deciding to step away this season, and this seems to lend credence to that.
At this point, it seems like Frazier feels there’s not much else he can do to state his case by working as a coordinator, and it’s hard to blame him after leading the Bills to top-two finishes in either points or yards allowed in four of the past five seasons.
Frazier, 64, began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles as their defensive backs coach in 1999. He had brief stints with the Bengals and Colts before the Vikings hired him as their defensive coordinator in 2007.
Frazier worked his way up to head coach and spent three years in the position before he was fired after the 2013 season. Since then, Frazier has worked for the Buccaneers, Ravens, and Bills. He stepped down as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator following the 2022 season.
As the Vikings’ head coach, Frazier led them to a record of 21-32-1 (39.8 percent), which includes one playoff appearance.
We will have more on Frazier as it becomes available.
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