Mike Priefer


Mike Priefer is an American football special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He has almost two decades of pro coaching experience.
Priefer has held coaching positions for Navy, Youngstown State, Virginia Military Institute, and Northern Illinois at the college level. He has also been an assistant for the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and has held coaching positions for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Giants.

Early years

Priefer is the son of Chuck Priefer, a retired NFL coach and special teams coordinator. He attended the United States Naval Academy, and then served in the United States Navy, serving from 1991 to 1994. He was stationed in the Persian Gulf as a helicopter pilot. He played quarterback and wide receiver at Navy.

Coaching career

For the 2002 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Priefer as a Special Teams Coordinator to replace Frank Gansz. At the end of the season, Tom Coughlin, at the time the head coach of the Jaguars, was fired and replaced with Jack Del Rio while Priefer was replaced with Bill Bates.
Priefer moved to the NFC East New York Giants in 2003. He worked with head coach Jim Fassel during the 2003 season, and during the 2004 season with new head coach, Tom Coughlin.
Between 2006 and 2008, Priefer coached for the Kansas City Chiefs. He then moved to the Denver Broncos in the AFC.

Minnesota Vikings

In 2011, Priefer was hired as special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
In 2012, Priefer won the Special Teams Coach of the Year by his NFL counterparts. It was thanks to help of the Vikings Kicker Blair Walsh, who had a very productive 2012 Rookie Season.
In 2014, Priefer was suspended for three weeks after making a homophobic remark. Former punter Chris Kluwe threatened to sue the Vikings for alleged wrongful termination and religious discrimination by Priefer. Priefer underwent sensitivity training before returning to work.
In 2016, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer had emergency eye surgery, and Priefer was named the head coach for the week 13 game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings lost 17–15.

Cleveland Browns

In January 2019, Priefer took a job as the next Special Teams Coordinator for his hometown Cleveland Browns.