Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be a hot commodity in the coming months. While he’s helping the Vikings prepare for a run through the playoffs, he’s also balancing the possibility of interviewing for several head coaching positions across the NFL.
Flores addressed his chance to interview for head coaching positions during a press conference on Tuesday. While he insisted that his focus is on Monday’s Wild Card matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, he also said he would take all interviews as teams open their search.
Brian Flores gets honest about his future with the Vikings
“I plan on taking them all,” Flores said. “I plan on sitting down and having conversations with any team that’s interested in talking to me about that position. I look forward to talking to people about my football journey and when that time comes I’ll do that. But I don’t think I’m even allowed to talk to anyone until next week, so really the focus is in the Rams.”
Brian Flores is a legitimate candidate thanks to what he’s done with the Vikings' defense. After ranking 28th in points allowed under Ed Donatell, Flores helped the Vikings improve to 13th in points allowed in 2023 before helping the Vikings jump to fifth this season.
With several players such as Josh Metellus, Cam Bynum thriving under Flores and a ringing endorsement from Harrison Smith, Flores’s resume would have him at the front of the line for most coaching interviews. But Flores’s previous head coaching stint with the Miami Dolphins included a bribe from owner Stephen Ross to lose games and a turbulent relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovalioa.
Flores also filed a lawsuit against the NFL in 2022, accusing the league and its clubs of racially discriminatory hiring practices. With the lawsuit pending, teams may think twice before considering Flores for their position but he was a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals before pulling out of the running to join the Vikings in 2023 and reportedly has been considered by the Chicago Bears and New York Jets in the early stages of their coaching search.
While Flores admitted that his time in Minnesota has been “the most rewarding of his career,” he also would like to return to becoming a head coach some day but also will be selective for his next opportunity.
“Is there a connection? Is the vibe, the energy, something you’re interested in? I think that goes both ways and it’s no different to me than any other interview setting in any other industry.”
Flores’s future will be one of many topics the Vikings will have to address this offseason and he has earned the right to be selective with the next opportunity. But the current task is leading the Vikings through a deep playoff run beginning with Monday’s matchup against the Rams in Inglewood.