Could Brian Flores Just Stay in Minnesota … for Years?
Brian Flores has served as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator for three seasons, fundamentally turning the defense into a formidable unit the moment he set foot in the Twin Cities. Fast forward to 2026, and there’s a path for Flores to stick around “forever.”
No team has given him the serious time of day via head coaching interviews, and as of this week, the update suggests his legal saga with the NFL could last years.
Brian Flores Could Stay in Minnesota Longer Than Expected
Flores’s Legal Saga Could Last Years
Flores is suing the NFL for unlawful hiring practices stemming from his dismissal in Miami five years ago and his subsequent pursuit of a head coaching job. This week, the United States Supreme Court dealt the NFL a loss, and all signs point to a trial for the matter’s resolution — eventually.
ProFootballTalk.com‘s Mike Florio noted Tuesday, “Obviously, the league wants the forum to be its in-house arbitration process. It keeps things secret, and it tips the scales of justice in the league’s favor. But, no, the NFL won’t suddenly surrender. It will aggressively challenge Flores at every turn, with the goal of securing a victory without having to take the case to trial.”
“When will that happen? It could take months. Maybe years. After all, it took nearly 52 months to get the case past the threshold question of whether the claims will be resolved in court or in arbitration.”
If it takes years, and the NFL largely avoids Flores’s head coaching candidacy, who’s to say he won’t stay in Minnesota indefinitely?
BET’s Tamar Brown added more context, “Since the suit was first filed, two other Black coaches have joined the fight. Steve Wilks joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 after the team fired him after just one season. His lawyers say he was brought in as a ‘bridge coach’ and never given a real chance to win.”
“The team replaced him with Kliff Kingsbury. Ray Horton also joined, claiming the Tennessee Titans gave him a sham interview in 2016 before hiring Mike Mularkey. Both teams deny the allegations, but now all of these claims will be picked apart in a courtroom.”
No Luck in HC Interviews
After Flores proved himself by immediately turning around the Vikings’ defense in 2023, he began to get a bit of head coaching attention, culminating this offseason in two “dream” jobs for a coach like Flores: the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The New England Patriots’ head coach job has actually opened twice, too, and Flores spent about 15 years in that organization.
But Flores was not a finalist in Baltimore or Pittsburgh, nor did the Patriots even bother to chat with him.
While he may not attract serious attention because of his hard-as-nails personality, it’s reasonable to assume the lawsuit is steering general managers and owners away from him.
The Vikings’ Version of Steve Spagnuolo
The Kansas City Chiefs employ Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator, and once upon a time, he served as the St. Louis Rams’ head coach for three seasons (2009-2011). That stint did not work out well for Spagnuolo, and he’s since traveled the league as a secondary coach and defensive coordinator.
In fact, Spagnuolo has served as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator for seven seasons, hired in 2019 and remaining an anchor of the franchise. Like Flores, he never receives serious head coaching attention, and by now, it’s just assumed that he’ll stay with the Chiefs when the coaching carousel heats up every January.
Based on his circumstances, that arrangement could await Flores. If the lawsuit and, later, the trial last for years, he could remain the Vikings’ defensive boss, as Minnesota pays him handsomely.
An Option for HC in Minnesota if Things Go Pear-Shaped?
A wildcard scenario: Flores could end up as the Vikings’ head coach, believe it or not.
Imagine this: Minnesota is beset by poor quarterback performance once again — it ranked fifth-worst last year in Dropback EPA/Play despite finishing with a 9-8 record — while Flores’s defense checks in the Top 3 for a third consecutive campaign. There’s a world where Minnesota moves on from O’Connell if the 2026 record is bad enough and entertains Flores as his direct replacement.
Flores has the experience for the top job; it’s just that no NFL team is in a hurry to take the plunge.
The Vikings love him, and he cannot be ruled out as an eventual head coach candidate.
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