Purple Rumor Mill: Brian Flores’ Next Employer, Cam Bynum’s Future, Daniel Jones
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the January 4th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Brian Flores’ Next Employer, Cam Bynum’s Future, Daniel Jones
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.
Rumor: Brian Flores is in the mix to head coach the Chicago Bears.
Regrettably for Vikings fans’ sake, the Chicago Bears keep popping up as a logical destination for Brian Flores. The Bears fired Matt Eberflus after an atrocious Thanksgiving game and will be in the market for their next skipper as early as now.
Per SI.com’s Albert Breer, Chicago cannot be ruled out of the Flores sweepstakes. “Another name connected to the position is Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores. He was a Boston College teammate of Poles in 2003, and the two have similar roots in the Bill Belichick system (Poles worked under Scott Pioli in Kansas City),” Breer wrote this week.
Chicago has lost 10 straight games, with its last win occurring in London — in Week 6.
Breer added, “I’m also told that Warren’s vetting of Flores with all his old connections in Minnesota (Warren worked for the Vikings for 15 years) yielded strong reviews for the 43-year-old. He will, of course, have to lay out a plan for how things would be different with Williams than they were with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.”
The Bears also bubbled to the surface as a Flores destination three weeks ago. Bears podcaster and author Dan McNeil tweeted in early December, “Sources confirm these FOUR coaches are on the Bears’ list for HC: Ben Johnson, Brian Flores, Joe Brady, Mike Vrabel. They may want to talk to more candidates, but they’re targeting these four. More as soon as I get it.”
This rumor is real.
Rumor: Camryn Bynum may not return to Minnesota in 2025.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson joined SKOR North’s Mackey and Judd Show this week, and he sounded a bit pessimistic about Bynum’s chances for a Year No. 5 in the Twin Cities. “Of all their premier free agents, the one that continues for me, like it’s hard to see him back, is Cam Bynum,” Wolfson said.
Wolfson generally nails all the Vikings reporting and rumors, so his assessment is not out of left field or clickbait.
He added, “Now, hey, there were some talks before training camp, so clearly mutual interest. But I just think Cam is good enough to get paid enough. I don’t have enough proof that this front office is willing to invest heavy money in the safety position.”
Fans should brace for Bynum’s exit, especially if Darnold re-signs for megabucks.
Rumor: Daniel Jones will be activated in Week 18 so that Minnesota can possibly grab a compensatory pick if he leaves in March.
In all likelihood, quarterback Daniel Jones will be elevated to the active roster for Sunday night’s game at Detroit.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted Monday, six days before Lions-Vikings: “Kevin O’Connell said the Vikings will discuss whether to add QB Daniel Jones to the 53-man roster this week, which would put him into their compensatory pick formula if he signs elsewhere in free agency. O’Connell said coaches haven’t talked about how that might impact QB depth.”
The would-be elevation is noteworthy because, as mentioned by Seifert, the Vikings could receive a compensatory draft pick if Jones bolts for a new team in March. At the very least, he’d play into the NFL’s complicated formula in determining such picks.
Jones could also be a QB2 contingency plan for J.J. McCarthy if Darnold leaves the team.
Those are the stakes.
ESPN’s Playoff Prediction for Vikings Is Unbelievable
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.