Recently-Retired Vikings Player Joining Team's Staff in Hybrid Role

Recently-retired Vikings tight end Ben Ellefson will remain with the team by joining the football staff in a "hybrid" role, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Tuesday.

Ellefson, whose three-year NFL playing career was marred by injuries, announced his retirement on Instagram on Thursday. The Hawley, MN native and former North Dakota State standout spent one season with the Jaguars and the last two with the Vikings, catching four passes across 258 offensive snaps in 16 career games.

O'Connell and the Vikings are still figuring out exactly what Ellefson's role on their staff will look like, which will be determined closer to training camp. It could be coaching, scouting, player development, player engagement, or a mix of all four.

"Ben and I have had some communication, and his intent to still stay involved with our team and be around our team, we're kind of putting our heads together and kind of come to a conclusion," O'Connell said. "We're going to have him with us, but no longer as a player. He's going to retire and join us in a little more of a hybrid, associate role, get his feet wet in the coaching world. He loves the idea of being around his teammates in the player engagement world, as well as possibly getting his toe in the scouting waters."

Whatever the role ends up being, Ellefson will be with the Vikings for the entire upcoming season. From there, who knows what his future could hold.

O'Connell told reporters that this isn't something the Vikings would do with just any player, but that Ellefson earned the opportunity through his work ethic and relationships.

"Ben poured it out for us his whole career here, and there's a reason why we're trying to find — and we have found — a really great outcome for him to be able to stay around not only the game of football, which is what he wants to do, but stay around our team, which means the world to me," O'Connell said. "A pretty unique circumstance, but one I think hopefully has a really great outcome Ben can be excited about, most importantly.

"As I told Ben, this isn't something we'd immediately jump to with all players. It's something not only with myself as the head coach and our staff, but with his teammates, I think those guys will be pretty excited about keeping the type of person and the worker that he is. I think he's going to be (great at) whatever he ends up truly finding a comfort zone with and can thrive in that. I'm excited about being a part of it with him."