Ben Kotwica has 17 years of coaching experience, including 15 seasons in the NFL. Most recently, Kotwica served as the assistant special teams coach for Minnesota in 2022 and was part of a coaching staff that helped the team to the NFC North Division title. He has eight years of experience as an NFL special teams coordinator, serving in that capacity with Atlanta (2019-20), Washington (2014-18) and the New York Jets (2013), where he worked with Westhoff as part of five overall seasons (2009-13) with the club. Kotwica was a linebacker and team captain at Army, which he captained to the most wins in team history (10-2) in 1996. A decorated officer who spent eight years in the U.S. Army after graduating from West Point, Kotwica served in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Korea and Iraq as a helicopter pilot. He was the Vikings' nominee for the NFL's Salute to Service award this past season and is a native of Tinley Park, Ill.