The Brian Flores Rumor Mill Thickens
The Minnesota Vikings’ defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and second per EPA/Play through 13 weeks. The Detroit Lions lead Minnesota in EPA/Play and trail by a spot via DVOA.
The Brian Flores Rumor Mill Thickens
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is the architect of that purple prosperity, and he’s coached so well that he could earn a head coaching gig in about two months.
Thanks to ESPN, more information about his candidacy is available. “I’m fascinated with Brian Flores. He has turned Minnesota’s defense into a force, his players support him and he has taken steps behind the scenes so that he’s ready for his second chance (the NFL was very impressed in Flores’ leadership in helping younger coaches during last offseason’s accelerator program, for example),” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday.
“But his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL can’t exactly be dropped as far as I know (he’s not the only plaintiff on the class-action suit). And whether fair or not, Tua Tagovailoa’s bashing of Flores is still fresh in peoples’ minds.”
Onlookers believed Flores might receive head coaching nibbles last offseason — and then nothing happened. So, he returned to Minnesota and created the NFL’s best defense.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano chimed in on the Flores rumor mill, too: “It’s tough to say with Flores, because of that lawsuit. I know the Giants liked him a lot when they hired Brian Daboll three years ago, but the extent to which the Giants’ process was implicated in the lawsuit rubbed that organization the wrong way, so I wonder whether those fences could be mended.”
“Would the Jets take a look at Flores, since a stronger hand might appeal to ownership? Would he appeal to the Bears, who’d be weakening a division rival if he could sell them on his ability to bring in the right offensive coordinator for Williams? I think Flores is a good and interesting candidate on several levels, but you’re right. The questions surrounding him are very specific and could be tough obstacles for him to overcome in this cycle.”
Not long ago, Flores expressed an explicit desire to return as a head coach somewhere in the league. In short, he wants to be a head coach again. It just has to be the “right opportunity,” Flores told ESPN’s Adam Schefter last month.
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 in November.
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 Pittsburgh Steelers employed Flores in 2022 as the team’s linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant. Shortly after the 2021 campaign, Flores, then a head coach, was fired by the Miami Dolphins, who apparently wanted to be done with Flores and move on to an offense-first head coach in Mike McDaniel. The termination was odd because Flores had restored the Dolphins to respectability, were trending in the right direction, and even beat the New England Patriots in the final game of 2021.
Flores then interviewed for the head job of the New York Giants. Brian Daboll was chosen instead, leading some to believe Flores was a “token interview” to placate the Rooney Rule. Flores sued the NFL accordingly. It’s also been speculated that the Dolphins asked Flores to “tank,” a strategy he rebuked.
He spent 11 seasons in the Bill Belichick system with the Patriots before jumping to the big job in Miami.
Flores’ prospective employment as a head coach in 2025 might depend on whether an owner and general manager can make peace with his impending lawsuit against the league.
Otherwise, the Vikings are happy to employ him indefinitely.
Minnesota would likely receive a compensatory draft pick in 2026 if Flores accepted an HC job next offseason. Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns could inquire about Flores if those clubs fire their head coaches.
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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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