Though he was expected to remain on the coaching staff under new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, former Steelers defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander is taking a job with the Minnesota Vikings under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Alexander is taking the defensive pass game coordinator job with the Vikings, leaving his role with the Steelers after just one season.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor previously reported Friday night that Alexander could take a job with the Vikings under Flores despite McCarthy planning to retain him. That move is now a reality as Alexander is off to Minnesota.
Alexander previously worked under Flores, who was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach. Now, he reunites with his former colleague, strengthening the Vikings’ coaching staff while opening up a spot on the Steelers coaching staff.
The move from Alexander comes as the Steelers hired Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator, a coach Alexander worked with in Las Vegas for one year after he left the Steelers to become the safeties coach before returning to Pittsburgh for 2025.
During his stint with Pittsburgh in 2025, after spending two seasons as the assistant defensive backs coach in 2022 and 2023, Alexander helped clean up cornerback Joey Porter Jr.’s penalty issues and oversaw the development of James Pierre, who took off in an elevated role in 2025.
Alexander also helped solidify the Steelers’ secondary, particularly at safety, as the team dealt with significant injuries at the position, including DeShon Elliott going down for the season. The Steelers moved Jalen Ramsey to safety to keep a lid on things, and worked in trade acquisition Kyle Dugger into the mix mid-season. While Dugger started his tenure with the Steelers on a high note and had a 75-yard pick-6 against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11, his play tailed off down the stretch and into the playoffs.
With Alexander out the door to become the pass game coordinator in Minnesota under Flores, the Steelers will need to find a defensive backs coach on McCarthy’s staff. One name that Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora raised on Friday night is former Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., who worked on McCarthy’s staff in Dallas as the pass game coordinator/secondary coach for the Cowboys from 2021-23.