Continued: Special teams coordinator leaves Vikings to coach Rams LBs

The Vikings did not lose defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to the Rams, but another one of their top assistant coaches is headed to St. Louis.

Paul Ferraro, the Vikings special teams coordinator since Brad Childress took over in 2006, has agreed to become the linebackers coach for the Rams, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

A Vikings spokesman declined to comment Thursday when asked whether Ferraro was leaving; new Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his policy is to not announce hirings until he has a signed contract.

The move reunites Ferraro with Spagnuolo, his good friend and former college teammate. The two played football together at Springfield (Mass.) College and were roommates.

There had been questions about Ferraro's job security after the Vikings gave up an NFL record seven touchdowns on special teams this season, including four on punt returns. But Childress said at his season-ending news conference that he had no plans to make a change.

However, there had been speculation if Spagnuolo left as the Giants defensive coordinator to take a head coaching job that he would try to hire Ferraro. Spagnuolo got that opportunity last weekend when the Rams picked him over a group of finalists that included Frazier.

This will be Ferraro's first job as a defensive assistant at the NFL level, although he has plenty of experience coaching on that side of the ball.

Ferraro, who has a year left on his contract with the Vikings, spent 23 years working at the collegiate level before becoming a special teams and strength and conditioning assistant with the Carolina Panthers in 2005. Ferraro was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers from 2001 to '04.

Ferraro's departure is only the third by a coordinator or position coach since Childress arrived. Defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin left after 2006 to become head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and receivers coach Darrell Wyatt was not retained following that season.

The Vikings could look internally to replace Ferraro. Brian Murphy has spent the past three seasons working as the Vikings assistant special teams coach. Murphy was an assistant on the University of Wisconsin staff for six seasons before joining the Vikings.

It's looking more and more as if veteran Matt Birk will be allowed to explore the free-agent market. Birk's contract expired after the season and the Vikings have yet to have any dialogue regarding a new deal with their longtime center.

Birk's agent, Joe Linta, remained cautiously optimistic Thursday.

"We know Coach Childress is in the process of evaluating Matt's play, and we are very hopeful he will have a positive evaluation," Linta said when asked about the situation.

The NFL's free agency period begins Feb. 27.

• Childress returned to the Twin Cities on Thursday after spending the week with several members of the Vikings scouting the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala.