Early career For the 2002 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Priefer as a Special Teams Coordinator to replace
Frank Gansz. At the end of the season,
Tom Coughlin, at the time the head coach of the Jaguars, was fired and replaced with
Jack Del Rio while Priefer was replaced with
Bill Bates. Priefer moved to the New York Giants in 2003 in a similar role. He worked with head coach
Jim Fassel during the
2003 season, and during the
2004 season with new head coach Coughlin. From 2006 to 2008, Priefer coached for the Kansas City Chiefs in the
AFC. He then moved to the Denver Broncos for the next two seasons.
Minnesota Vikings In 2011, Priefer was hired as special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings. In 2012, Priefer won the Special Teams Coach of the Year, as voted on by his
NFL counterparts. It was due to the help of the Vikings Kicker
Blair Walsh, who had a very productive 2012 rookie season. In 2014, Priefer was suspended for three weeks after making a homophobic remark, saying something along the lines of "putting all the gays on an island and nuking it." Former punter
Chris Kluwe threatened to sue the Vikings for alleged wrongful termination and religious discrimination by Priefer. Priefer underwent sensitivity training before returning to work. In 2016, Vikings head coach
Mike Zimmer had emergency eye surgery, and Priefer was named the head coach for the week 13 game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings lost 17–15.
Cleveland Browns In January 2019, Priefer took a job as the next special teams coordinator for his hometown Cleveland Browns. On January 5, 2021, Browns head coach
Kevin Stefanski tested positive for
COVID-19, and Priefer took over as acting
head coach. Because Stefanski could not coach the Browns' playoff game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers on January 10, 2021, Priefer served as the acting head coach for the game and led them to a 48–37 win. Stefanski returned on January 14 before the Browns' next playoff game. With over 20 players unable to play due to COVID-19, Priefer was unable to win a second time as the acting head coach and the Browns fell on a last second field goal in a 14–16 loss. He was fired by the Browns on February 21, 2023, following four years on the team's staff.
North Carolina In August 2025, Priefer was hired as the special teams coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He was fired by North Carolina on December 12. == References ==