Thad Bogardus enters his third season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2025 and his first as outside linebackers coach, previously serving as assistant inside linebackers coach in each of his first two seasons in Minnesota (2023-24). Bogardus, who begins his 12th year in the NFL, spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2017-22), including serving as outside linebackers coach in 2022 and assistant linebackers coach during the team's Super Bowl LVI winning season in 2021, before joining the Vikings coaching staff on March 21, 2023.
Bogardus helped the Vikings to a 14-3 regular-season record and playoff appearance in 2024, the second-most wins in team history. The linebacker core played an integral role in Minnesota leading the NFL in interceptions (24), passes defensed (95), opponent 4th-down conversion percentage (37.1%) and interceptions per attempt (3.8%) and tying for the league lead in takeaways (33). The unit also helped the Vikings rank second in the NFL in opponent scoring efficiency (31.6%), opponent runs of at least 20 yards (five) and opponents rushing yards per game (93.5).
With Bogardus' assistance in 2024, LBs Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. experienced the bests seasons of their careers. In his first season in Minnesota, Cashman registered single-season career highs in tackles (111), sacks (4.5), QB pressures (24), QB hits (11) and passes defensed (8). He was the only player in the league with at least 100 tackles, eight passes defensed and 4.0 sacks, achieving the feat while playing in just 14 of the Vikings 17 games this season due to injury. Likewise, Pace, despite missing six games with injuries, had a career-high 3.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss. He also recorded an interception and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his sophomore season.
In his first season in Minnesota, Bogardus helped the Viking's defense improve from 31st overall in 2022 to 16th in 2023. The linebacking core contributed to Minnesota leading the NFL in forced fumbles with 21, three more than any other team in the league, and helped the team post eight games with at least one forced fumble and one interception, which tied for the second most in the league in 2023, trailing only the Cleveland Browns (nine).
Bogardus helped in developing undrafted rookie LB Ivan Pace Jr., who was a mainstay for the Vikings defense in 2023, starting 11 of the 17 games in which he appeared, and assuming green dot duties in Weeks 11-15 in the absence of veteran LB Jordan Hicks. Pace Jr., led all rookies in tackles in 2023 (102) and is just the third undrafted rookie in NFL history since 1987 to tally at least 100 tackles, joining Vontaze Burfict (2012) and Paul Worrilow (2013).
He also coached a nine-year veteran linebacker in Hicks, who, despite spending four games on Reserve/Injured, tallied the third most tackles among all Vikings defenders in 2023 with 107. It marked his fifth-straight season with at least 100 tackles. Both Hicks (Week 6, at Chicago) and Pace Jr., (Week 14, at Las Vegas) were named NFC Defensive Players of the Week during the 2023 season.
In his lone season as the Los Angeles Rams 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 the Rams 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 Rams 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 Rams, Bogardus spent two seasons as a defensive coaching assistant for the Denver Broncos, helping the team win Super Bowl 50, after entering the NFL 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.
