After a couple of weeks of speculation and virtual and in-person visits, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was unable to land a head coaching job.
The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers were the two franchises that interviewed Flores for their head coach openings, but they both went in other directions. While that may have been bad news for Flores, it's great news for the Vikings.
They signed him to a hefty contract extension, and he'll return as Minnesota's defensive coordinator for the foreseeable future. This is a huge move for the Vikings and one that helps the team out on multiple levels.
Brian Flores returning for 2026 is incredible for the Minnesota Vikings
Defensive Continuity
With Flores returning as the defensive coordinator, the scheme will be the same for the Vikings next season. Players like Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, and Blake Cashman won't have to learn new terminology or be forced to pick up an unfamiliar scheme introduced by a new defensive coordinator.
This unit can pick up where it left off, and where it left off was as one of the best and hottest defenses in the entire NFL. The main reason Minnesota finished the 2025 season with a five-game winning streak was the domination of this defense, particularly the front seven.
With Flores back, the terminology will be the same, the looks, the blitzes, the disguises, everything. This is especially huge news for young players like Turner and Jalen Redmond, who, at season's end, were really starting to flourish under Flores's attacking system.
Another year in the same defense will do wonders for their development, and could allow them to have seasons that put them on the NFL map, not just the Vikings' one.
Personnel Fits
If Flores had left to be a head coach elsewhere, it would've put Minnesota's offseason plans in flux. The search for a new defensive coordinator would've been on, and how that new coach values positions and players could've vastly differed from how Flores sees them.
With the East-West Shrine and Senior Bowls taking place this month, not knowing exactly what type of defensive scheme is going to be employed would make it more difficult for the Vikings to scout the proper defensive prospects.
Flores does have a pretty big say in what defensive prospects are targeted in the draft and what free agents fit well into his scheme.
He reportedly was the driving force in bringing in cornerback Isaiah Rodgers in free agency a year ago, and with Flores being back, he can have the same influence on what defensive free agents the Vikings will target this March.
With how good Minnesota's defense was this season, Flores might even hold more power in personnel decisions, and Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be wise to listen to what the man has to say and who he wants for his defense.
Head Coach Waiting in the Wings
There's no question that Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah are on the hot seat heading into the 2026 season.
They are going into their fifth year as the head coach and general manager of the Vikings. In that span, they've made the playoffs twice but failed to get a single win both times.
To keep their jobs, they must have to have postseason success in 2026, and even that may not be enough. The time for results is now, and Minnesota's ownership and the fans are tired of the mediocrity this regime has produced thus far.
If the Vikings' 2026 season starts rough and the team finds itself with a losing record by the start of October, it may be enough to let O'Connell go. If that's the case, the team has a head coaching option waiting in the wings, and that is, of course, Flores.
Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021, with a 24-25 record. He has the experience, and despite not landing a head coaching gig in this hiring cycle, is destined to be a head coach again in the league, and that could end up being in Minnesota if the wheels fall off in 2026.
The Vikings' ownership could turn the reins of this team over to Flores, and he'd essentially have a three-month interview for the permanent job if he were to lead the team to the playoffs and beyond.