Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores chats with the media on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, after his team beat the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 23-22 on December 1st. Minnesota hired Flores before the start of the 2023 season to lead the defense.
The NFL’s coaching carousel will turn up the heat in the next few weeks, as several teams will need new head coaches, and those new skippers will require staff.
For now, the Minnesota Vikings have a sweet 13-2 record through 16 weeks and need just two wins against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to secure homefield advantage throughout the postseason. Everything Vikings is focused on the current season and impending playoff push, rest assured.
However, before too long, two popular Vikings coaches will be on deck for promotions.
Flores’ defense is all the rage, ranked in the league’s Top 3 by most meaningful metrics. He previously head-coached the Miami Dolphins for three seasons before a perceived raw deal forced him out.
Now, though, Flores could be a hot commodity if NFL owners and general managers overlook his lawsuit for the nefarious ending in Miami.
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 in November.
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 last month.
The “right opportunity” could be one of these clubs if changes are afoot when the regular season concludes:
Theoretical Landing Spots:
The Vikings hired McCown in the offseason, and he immediately worked wonders, helping to transform Sam Darnold into a Top 10 quarterback.
That just has to be noticed by the NFL masses. McCown also played at oodles of destinations as a quarterback throughout his long career, so he’ll have built-in connections.
McCown may not get looks just yet as a head coach, but the possibility cannot be ruled out. He knows the sport and league quite well.
Interestingly, Darnold may leave the Vikings for free agency in 2.5 months, and it wouldn’t be weird one bit if McCown and Darnold turned into a package deal somewhere.
Theoretical Landing Spots:
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.