Brian Flores Updates Future Mindset as Possible HC
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores wants to be a head coach again.
Brian Flores Updates Future Mindset as Possible HC
It just has to be the “right opportunity,” Flores told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
In fact, Flores told Schefter he would love to head coach again. “Now, I may get some resistance from my kids, who are having a great time here in Minnesota. They’re having a fantastic time here just with school, and basketball, and football, and friendships and things like that. I think I’d get a little resistance, but for me personally, it’s something that I’d love to do again. With that said, Minnesota has been a great spot for me. My family, we’re really enjoying it,” Flores said this week.
Last offseason, Vikings fans wondered if Flores would take the head coaching plunge with a new team and be a one-hit-wonder in Minneapolis, but the man curiously received no interviews. This offseason may be different, especially if Flores’ defense remains tops per DVOA and EPA/Play through 10 weeks, its current ranking per each metric.
Flores also told Schefter he loves working with Vikings skipper Kevin O’Connell. “It’s been fantastic. He’s all about vibe and energy and having the right energy across the board. I’ve been a few other places, this is the first time I’m working for an offensive head coach. So, to see that dynamic… really just spend time with him on his thought process from an offensive standpoint. That’s been new and different for me. Seeing the head coach-quarterback dynamic, because he’s really the best in the business from that standpoint, and just watching that dynamic.”
The NFL could have 8-10 head coaching gigs available when January and February roll around. It’s thought that Flores will only explore top jobs within sturdy organizations, as his tenure in Miami was sullied by shenanigans in 2021.
“He does such a great job with that group. It’s been phenomenal. He and I have a great relationship. I pick his brain and ask him questions,” Flores concluded about his relationship with O’Connell.
Flores told reporters last December about his future, “My message to our guys yesterday was we’ve got 35 guaranteed days. That’s all we got that’s guaranteed. I asked them to put everything into these 35 days.”
“I can’t give that message and not heed that message. My focus is on these guys, this team, these next five games because that’s all we really have. I understand the question, but that’s where my focus is,” Flores added.
If Flores actually receives HC attention this year, the Chicago Bears or Cleveland Browns might make sense.
Flores will turn 44 in February. The Vikings are 7-2 through 10 weeks.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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