The Brian Flores Sweepstakes Takes a U-Turn
Cue The Godfather Part III quote: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
The Brian Flores Sweepstakes Takes a U-Turn
For a matter of minutes on Wednesday, Minnesota Vikings fans believed defensive coordinator Brian Flores would return to the purple team in 2025 after the New York Jets hired Aaron Glenn, not Flores, as their next head coach.
All teams that interviewed Flores appeared to be hiring other candidates or trending in the opposite direction — until the Jacksonville Jaguars made unexpected news. The Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke, blowing their head coaching search to smithereens.
NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport tweeted, “The Jaguars and GM Trent Baalke are parting ways.”
Jacksonville’s owner, Shad Khan, said about the move, “Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately. Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons. Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager and play an important role, with others, as we continue the process of interviewing candidates to serve as our new head coach. I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike.”
The Jaguars’ HC search had previously advanced to Round 2 without Flores, but with Baalke out, all bets are off. Flores now has a puncher’s chance to earn Jacksonville’s head coaching job, especially if the search for a full-time general manager takes longer than a day or so.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Flores is the Jaguars’ top candidate, so Vikings fans will monitor the Flores sweepstakes even more intently than before. It’s just that Flores felt like a foregone conclusion to return with the Vikings after Glenn got hired in New York.
Flores head coached the 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.
Tua Tagovailoa also spoke negatively of Flores last summer, claiming on a podcast that Flores destroyed his confidence. The Dolphins quarterback called Flores a “terrible person.”
The pending lawsuit, plus Tagovailoa’s unflattering review, might’ve followed Flores during the interview process.
The Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and New Orleans Saints are also looking for new skippers, although Flores has not interviewed for those positions. Flores turned the Vikings’ defense around rather quickly, and in fact, his group ranked second in the NFL this season per EPA/Play. He’s earned HC attention accordingly. Fans will be excited to have him back if he strikes out this cycle.
The Vikings will receive two 2026 compensatory draft picks if Flores earns a head coaching job, probably in the mid-round range.
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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