Thad Bogardus enters his 10 year working in the NFL and first with the Vikings in 2023 as the assistant inside linebackers coach, after spending the past six seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He previously served as the outside linebackers coach for the Rams in 2022 and the assistant linebackers coach for the team during their Super Bowl LVI winning 2021 season.
In his lone season as assistant defensive line coach in 2020, DL Aaron Donald became the third player in league history to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. He was also named the PFWA Defensive Player of the Year award for the second time. Donald finished with a team-high 13.5 sacks.
In 2019, Bogardus' first seasons as assistant defensive line/ defensive quality control coach, the defensive front powered its way to 50.0 sacks, the fourth-highest total in the league. The unit also featured a stellar season from DT Aaron Donald, who recorded double-digit sacks for the third-consecutive season and earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors.
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Bogardus primarily worked with the defensive line. DT Aaron Donald twice led L.A. in sacks, including an NFL-best 20.5 sacks in 2018. Donald also became the first Rams player to be named The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year and only one-of-three players in history to win the award in consecutive seasons.
Prior to joining the Los Angeles Rams, Bogardus spent two seasons as a defensive coaching assistant for the Denver Broncos – helping the team win Super Bowl 50."
Bogardus' first year in the NFL came in 2014 as the defensive quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills.
At Ball State University, Bogardus spent 2011 as a football operations graduate assistant and served as the defensive graduate assistant from 2012-13.
A native of Redding, Conn., Bogardus graduated from Elon University in 2011. He and his wife, Lauren, have a daughter, Erika, and a son Brooks.
