As the Minnesota Vikings move into the offseason, the first big item on everyone's minds is the future of defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Multiple reports have said his contract officially expires this week, 10 days after the team's season ended.
Flores is ostensibly a candidate for any head coaching opening, with early rumors attaching him to the Las Vegas Raiders. But of the eight current openings, he has had just one interview on his docket to this point, with the Baltimore Ravens after they let long-time head coach John Harbaugh go.
There has been some idea that Flores will consider a lateral move to a different defensive coordinator post, with the Dallas Cowboys as a prominent potential suitor on that front. But Dallas's search for Matt Ebeflus' replacement has not yet extended to Flores via a scheduled interview, most likely due to him still technically being under contract with the Vikings.
New report should quell concerns about Brian Flores leaving the Minnesota Vikings
Flores could've signed a contract extension with the Vikings before this season, but he chose to bet on himself, and he won.
Minnesota is presumably making a strong effort to get an extension done now, but it's possible Flores wants to see what the full extent of his other options might be first. If he's waited this long, what's a little longer when you'll probably have other suitors?
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk seems to be well-plugged in on Flores' situation, and his latest insight on Monday is good news for Vikings fans.
"As we understand it, the Vikings remain confident Flores will be back, unless he lands a head-coaching job. Of the eight openings, Flores has publicly emerged as a potential candidate, so far only with the Ravens."
As Florio suggested, Flores re-upping with Minnesota may only be a matter of time, or timing.
"It’s possible, frankly, that the Vikings have a tentative deal with Flores, but that a decision has been made to not put pen to paper until he has exhausted all head-coaching possibilities."
In terms of his head coaching possibilities, there are a few we can comfortably scratch for Flores.
He was already the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The New York Giants are one of four teams named in his ongoing discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. He took himself out of consideration for the Arizona Cardinals' job when it was last open, so it's unlikely he'll get an interview request there.
So that leaves the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Ravens, and Raiders as the possibilities for Flores to get a head coaching job this year.
The first three are growing very unlikely, given how they've all already tapped several candidates for first interviews. And Las Vegas has yet to request an interview, despite a long list of candidates they have asked to talk to.
So, day by day, the odds Flores is back with the Vikings for a fourth season as defensive coordinator are getting better. That could change very quickly, of course, but a positive report on that front is obviously better than the alternative.