Chris Kuper (pronounced coo-pur) enters his third season with the Minnesota Vikings as offensive line coach in 2024. Kuper, who played eight years in the NFL, joined the Vikings coaching staff after spending three seasons as the assistant offensive line coach with the Denver Broncos.
In his second season with the Vikings in 2023, Kuper's offensive line contributed to the Vikings finishing the season fifth in the league in passing yards per game (256.4) and being one of just three teams to rank inside the top six in the league in passing yards per game in each of the past two seasons, joining Miami (fourth in 2022, first in 2023) and Kansas City (first in 2022, sixth in 2023). Minnesota finished sixth in passing yards per game during Kuper's first season with the club.
The offensive line navigated the 2023 season with four different quarterbacks under center, the most in franchise history, due to a season-ending injury to QB Kirk Cousins in Week 8. In addition to Cousins, rookie Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens each started multiple games for the Vikings throughout the season.Â
In 2022, Kuper coached an offensive line that helped the Vikings offense rank eighth in the NFL in scoring (24.9 ppg) and led running back Dalvin Cook to another 1,000-plus yard rushing season. Kuper guided center Garrett Bradbury to a career-high 68.1 pass block grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Kuper worked under long-time offensive line coach Mike Munchak while in Denver, helping the Broncos offensive line give their quarterbacks the fourth-most time to throw (2.91 seconds) in the NFL, despite being blitzed on 26.9% of their dropbacks, the 13th-most in the NFL in 2021. The Broncos offensive line also blocked for two 900-plus yard rushers, RBs Melvin Gordon III (918) and Javonte Williams (903), the first running back duo since Houston Texans RBs Arian Foster (1,224) and Ben Tate (942) in 2011 to accomplish this feat.
In 2020, Kuper coached Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro tackle Garett Bolles and assisted the Broncos offensive line in being ranked 13th in the NFL in sacks allowed (32). Kuper coached rookie third-round (83rd overall) center Lloyd Cushenberry III in 2020, one of two rookies (T Tristian Wirfs, Tampa Bay) in the NFL to play 100% of their team's offensive snaps.
Kuper oversaw G Dalton Risner's rookie season, helping him earn Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team honors after playing the eighth-most snaps among first-year players in 2019. Risner, Bolles and C Connor McGovern all were 16-game starters for Denver in 2019.
Prior to his time in Denver, Kuper worked with the Miami Dolphins as the assistant offensive line coach (2017-18) under Chris Foerster (2017) and Jeremiah Washburn (2018) and as an offensive quality control assistant (2016). Kuper helped aid in the development of T Laremy Tunsil, who allowed just one sack in 2018.
The 2017 offensive line allowed 33 sacks, which was the 11th-fewest in the NFL despite using nine different offensive line combinations. Kuper took over the offensive line coaching duties in Week 7 during the 2017 season, helping the offensive line protect for the sixth-best passing offense during that span.
Kuper played eight seasons in the NFL with the Broncos, starting in 79 of his 90 games, playing both right and left guard. He was drafted in the fifth-round (161st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of North Dakota. Kuper and former Vikings TE Jim Kleinsasser (1999) are the two of the last three players to be drafted out of North Dakota.Â
In his first seven seasons (78 starts) Kuper allowed just 12 sacks, according to STATS. He finished as the NFL's only 16-game starting guard to not allow a sack in 2008 and help the team set a club record for fewest sacks allowed (12). The Broncos also ranked third in the league in yards per rush (4.8), despite placing seven running backs on injured reserve in 2008.
In his eight-year career, Kuper was a three-time captain for the Broncos and was the recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award in 2012. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, he and his wife, Cynthia, have four children: Madeline, James, Anna and Alexandra.
