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Minnesota Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels before the start of an NFL preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026.
With the Vikings in need of a spark in a close game against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 11, rookie linebacker Jake Golday provided it with a perfectly executed “Peanut Punch” to force a fumble in kick coverage and set up Minnesota’s go-ahead touchdown drive.
The emotions poured out of Golday in the immediate aftermath. His teammates mobbed him in celebration as he raced toward the sidelines. The only person more excited than Golday himself was special teams coordinator Matt Daniels.
The scene was a microcosm of how the Vikings want to operate on special teams. Not only does the unit want to make an impact on the game, but it also wants to carry itself with an unbridled joy while doing it.
That mindset starts with the man in charge.
“We’re a big part of the team,” Daniels said. “We all understand the importance of it.”
The way the Vikings treat special teams is unique. It’s not viewed as a stepping stone that young players graduate out of on their way to bigger roles. It’s a source of pride for everybody from the top down that matters as much as offense and defense.
It’s probably not a coincidence then that these Vikings have established themselves as the best special teams unit in the NFL.
“These guys are making game-changing plays at least once or twice in every game,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “They have been a major factor for us.”
Some of the basic stats help tell the story. Kicker Will Reichard entered play on Sunday a perfect 15 of 15 on field goal attempts and 8 of 8 on extra point attempts. Receiver Myles Price led the league in kickoff return average (29.8 yards) and punt return average (21.6).
Advanced metrics better contextualize the dominance.
The Vikings also lead the league in expected points added via special teams (+26.5), which essentially measures the net value of a team’s special teams unit. The next closest teams are the Buffalo Bills (+23.7), the Seattle Seahawks (+23.5) and the Detroit Lions (+21.0).
The worst team in the league by a wide margin is the Los Angeles Rams (-29.4).
“You have teams where the emphasis might not be there, and surely enough it’ll cost them,” Daniels said. “I think we do a really good job here of making sure it’s a collaborative effort of who we want up, because this phase of the game can change the outcome.”
That isn’t something Daniels takes lightly. There’s an intentionality about him that sets him apart compared to some of his peers. He grinds through countless hours of film to make sure the Vikings are always in the best position to succeed.
“He’s constantly finding ways for us to have an edge each and every game,” Price said. “It feels like every time we step on the field, he’s making sure we have an advantage. I love that about him. He’s a real guru.”
There is never a stone left unturned.
“Here’s the best way I know how to describe it,” long snapper Andrew DePaola said. “We all have 24 hours in a day, right? It feels like he somehow Hat has 30 hours in a day. The amount of stuff that he’s able to get done is nuts.”
The result is a weekly game plan that touches on everything imaginable.
“The details are crazy,” edge rusher Bo Richter said. “He’s so in the weeds with all of it.”
Daniels, 37, played the game at the highest level. He was a physical safety at Duke, where he garnered the longstanding nickname “Hat” because of a hit he once delivered at practice. He parlayed that physicality into a brief stint in the NFL, where he played for the St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers, priding himself on being able to affect the game on special teams.
He could have played a long time in the NFL as a special teams ace had a rash of injuries not forced him to retire. It wasn’t long after Daniels decided to hang up the cleats for good that his former special teams coordinator, John Fassel, hired him to be his right-hand man with the Rams.
They worked together in Los Angeles and Dallas before Daniels got hired by the Vikings.
“I had a history with him from when he was a player,” said Fassel, who now serves as the special teams coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. “The amount of respect I had for him when he was playing was a feather in his cap. We brought him in for an interview, and it confirmed everything I already knew about him. He was an incredible young professional with a huge passion for the game.”
Daniels’ NFL experience has given him credibility among his players throughout his rise up the ranks. He’s able to talk the talk because he walked the walk.
“You’ve got a guy that lived and breathed special teams in his career and lived and breathed that mindset, and he’s able to articulate that to our group,” safety Josh Metellus said. “He gets a bunch of animals ready to attack for him.”
Asked why he gravitated toward special teams and never strayed from that path, Daniels credited Fassel, first and foremost, then noted how he appreciates the reach he’s been afforded working with that phase.
“I’ve always seen it as an opportunity, like ‘Well, if I can be a special teams coordinator, then I get to coach everybody,'” Daniels said. “Now I get to put my hands on every single individual on the team. Just being able to have those connections were really huge for me. That’s why I went that route, and I’m really glad I decided to do that.”
That doesn’t mean it’s always been easy for him.
Special teams mistakes are often amplified, as was the case last season when the Vikings suffered a heartbreaking loss to Chicago. After taking the lead in the final minute, the Vikings gave up a 56-yard kickoff return to receiver Devin Duvernay, which set up a 48-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos as time expired to give the Bears a 19-17 victory.
Though a vocal subsection of the fan base called for Daniels to be fired in the immediate aftermath, O’Connell stuck with him because he knew how effective the Vikings had already proven to be on special teams (Minnesota finished the 2025 season ranked 10th in special teams EPA).
“There’s a lot of pressure that comes with it,” Daniels said. “It’s a lonely sideline with it being a one-play phase.”
The commitment O’Connell showed to Daniels is a good example of how much the Vikings value special teams as a whole. They take the phase seriously, whether it’s deciding which undrafted free agents to bring in, which fringe roster players to cut or which of the 48 players that dress on game day.
“That’s the beauty of having a coaching staff that’s been together,” Daniels said. “It makes those conversations a lot easier.”
That Daniels has a say in those discussions allows him to get the most out of the special teams unit. The results have spoken for themselves.
“We expect to win that phase every week. That’s not a slight on anybody else,” O’Connell said. “It’s just the confidence we have in the group that we put out there.”
Daniels carries himself with a swagger and presents a strong zest for life. Yet his biggest challenge remains not allowing his message to become monotonous. He wants to be as creative as possible while getting his point across.
“We kind of live in this world in the special teams phase of, ‘How can we get these guys to believe in something?’” Daniels said. “We call ourselves ‘edutainers’ because we educate these guys while also trying to find a way to keep them entertained.”
Which explains why a special teams meeting might feel like something of a sit-down family dinner. The room is filled with good vibes and friendly banter between players.
“We all had to write down a few songs on a notecard and turn it in,” Price said. “He made a little playlist and puts it on shuffle and I be in there jamming.”
That culture Daniels has created is something linebacker Eric Wilson noticed after signing back with the Vikings. He was initially brought in to be a special teams ace before developing into a key piece for defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“I could tell there was something special in place,” Wilson said. “It’s a little bit different than other places I’ve been. It’s really like a family. That shows up with how hard everybody plays for each other.”
It feels like only a matter of time before Daniels gets the chance to run his own locker room as a head coach. It would be a significant loss for the Vikings if that ever were to happen.
“I think Hat is a guy who could be a head coach in the future,” Metellus said. “He can take command and have everybody see a mission. You can also always feel that it’s coming from the heart. That’s what I think I love the most about him.”
That authenticity was apparent a couple of weeks ago with how Daniels celebrated Golday after his forced fumble. There was a genuine excitement from Daniels as Golday made it back to the sideline.
“His energy is contagious,” DePaola said. “It feels a little different lately where guys are coming in like, ‘Yo. What do I have to do to get on special teams?’ That’s because of him. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of.”
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