Here’s What’s Next for Brian Flores
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason is here, and this go-round, one of their top coaches is firmly on the NFL’s coaching carousel.
Here’s What’s Next for Brian Flores
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a hot commodity this cycle, so much so that three franchises want to speak to him about head coaching vacancies.
And thanks to NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport, we know what’s next for Flores — back-to-back-to-back scheduled interviews with the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears.
Rapoport tweeted Thursday, three days after the Vikings’ season sadly ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams: “A big few days loom for Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, one of the top candidates. He has 3 head coach interviews set up: — Jets on Friday. — Jaguars on Friday. — Bears on Saturday.”
Under Flores in 2024, Minnesota’s defense ranked second best in the NFL per EPA/Play. The group was elite by nearly every efficiency metric. In fact, Flores fixed Minnesota’s defense in one offseason, from 2022 to 2023, and the group achieved new heights in 2024. Accordingly, other clubs want a piece of Flores or at least some interviews.
Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Flores will end up as the Bears’ next skipper. That’s Graziano’s official prediction from an article this week forecasting each applicable franchise’s head coach selection.
“There are hurdles for Flores — who appears to be a strong candidate for the Jets job, as well — to clear before any team can hire him. That’s especially true in Chicago; there will be questions about his past relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Miami as the Bears evaluate him as a candidate to shepherd Caleb Williams’ development,” Graziano explained.
Graziano continued, “But by all accounts, it sounds like Flores has made a very different impression on people in Minnesota than he did in Miami. He has been public about the reasons things went wrong for him with the Dolphins and what he has learned from that situation that would make things different at his next stop. One more relevant note here: Flores and Bears GM Ryan Poles both went to Boston College, so there’s a connection there.”
Flores coached the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 before a controversial split. Miami allegedly asked Flores to tank games for better draft picks, which he refused. The young coach later sued the NFL for a sham interview process during the 2022 coaching carousel, litigation that is still pending.
A couple of months ago, Flores explained that he would love to be a head coach again in the NFL if the opportunity were right. The Jets, Jaguars, and Bears don’t outwardly represent sterling opportunities, but Flores could, in theory, be talked into one of the destinations. At least to some degree, all three organizations are known for some dysfunction level.
The Vikings would receive two 2026 compensatory draft picks if Flores earned a head coaching job, probably in the mid-round range.
Should Flores skedaddle this offseason, the Vikings could explore an internal candidate like defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones as his replacement or external options like Robert Saleh, Jerod Mayo, or Brandon Staley.
Flores will turn 44 next month.
Vikings Have a “Secret Superstar”
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 MIN 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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