Without saying where the meeting will take place, Vikings head coach Brad Childress confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Frazier will interview with the Bills. Frazier becomes the second person to formally interview for the job after Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell had a four-hour session with general manager Buddy Nix on Monday.
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Buffalo (6-10) missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season and is searching for its fourth head coach in 10 years after Dick Jauron was fired in November.
The interview with Frazier will take place during the Vikings' week off before they prepare to open the playoffs against Dallas, Green Bay or Arizona on Jan. 17. Under NFL rules, the two sides will not be able to meet again until the Vikings are eliminated or reach the Super Bowl.
Should Minnesota qualify for the Super Bowl, the Bills would be allowed to talk to Frazier during the week following the NFC championship game.
Frazier is in his 11th NFL season as coach and third with the Vikings. He has been credited with overseeing a stout unit that has ranked sixth in the league in yards allowed the past two seasons. He joined the Vikings after being a defensive backs coach with the Colts, where he also served as a special assistant to head coach Tony Dungy.
This is not the first time Frazier has been pegged as a head-coaching candidate. He spent two days interviewing with the Rams last year, and was also a finalist for the opening in Detroit a year ago. In 2008, he interviewed for the Dolphins vacancy.
Frazier is a former cornerback who played with the Bears from 1981-86, and was a starter on Chicago's star-studded 1985 defense that carried the team to a Super Bowl title.
Frazier has been mentioned as a potential candidate in Buffalo for the past week, even though the Bills prefer someone with previous head-coaching experience. The Bills are also interested in former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, though it's unclear whether the two sides have had significant discussions. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter has reported it's unlikely Cowher will coach in 2010.
New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer also says he is content and hopes he remains in New York "for a long time" as rumors swirl about the Bills' interest in talking to him.
Schottenheimer, who has run the Jets' offense the past four seasons, says he has been excited about several head coaching opportunities that have come up the past few years. Now, however, he's "really happy" for the first time in a long time and "loves" the Jets and coach Rex Ryan.
He said he'd listen if someone wanted to talk about a coaching job, but he's "in a great spot" with the Jets.
"If somebody came and wanted to talk to me, would I listen? Probably," he said. "But I'm saying that I'm very happy here. I love the area, I love working with Rex. I'm excited about the things we're doing offensively and I'm really content."
Schottenheimer's father, Marty, has also been mentioned in connection with the Bills.
"He's told me for the last probably two years that he's done," Brian Schottenheimer said. "I think if it was the right job, I think he would listen, but at the end of the day, it would take a heck of a lot to convince him to come off the golf course and go back to work."
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