Brian Flores Is Personally Interested in One HC Job
The New England Patriots job would interest him.
Brian Flores Is Personally Interested in One HC Job
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, a man of few words, made it clear on Tuesday that the vacant Patriots head coaching gig intrigues him.
“I would say yes,” Flores replied to reporters when asked if he’d take an interview for New England’s top gig. The Patriots somewhat unexpectedly fired first-year skipper Jerod Mayo on Monday, a former coworker of Flores’.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted about the exchange, “Brian Flores is gracefully taking a lot of questions about his head coach prospects. He said he will take every interview that is requested. Asked if he is interested in the Patriots job, he said: ‘I would say yes.’ But he added ‘it’s not up to me’ if they want to talk.”
New England will interview former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel for Mayo’s old job, and Vrabel is considered the frontrunner to earn the gig. It remains to be seen if Flores will snatch an interview.
Flores spent 14 seasons in New England as a coach and scout, winning four Super Bowl titles. Flores actually almost doubled Vrabel’s time in New England as a player, though Flores was always a coach and scout. If New England wants a homegrown commodity not named Vrabel, Flores can be the guy.
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.
Meanwhile, Flores must have the Vikings’ defense ready for the playoffs. Minnesota travels to Los Angeles for a Wildcard date with the Rams on Monday Night Football in five days.
The Vikings would receive two 2026 compensatory draft picks if Flores earned a head coaching job, probably in the mid-round range.
The New York Jets and Chicago Bears also requested permission to interview Flores for their head coaching vacancies on Monday.
In New England, Flores would inherit rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who looked promising in 2024, and a franchise with over $125 million in cap space to spend in free agency. The Patriots also have the fourth pick in April’s draft.
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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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