The struggles of the Minnesota Vikings' offense this season have obscured the work the defense has been doing. Entering Week 16, Brian Flores' unit is top-10 in total yardage allowed, yards per play allowed, passing yards allowed, and pressure rate per dropback, while also sitting top-12 in rushing yardage allowed (total per game and per carry).
Yet, there is real doubt about Flores' future. If not for his discrimation lawsuit against the NFL, he would be a slam-dunk head coaching candidate and a lock to be hired by someone. His contract with the Vikings is also set to expire after the season, with no public indications that an extension is coming.
During an episode of the "Access Vikings" podcast back on Dec. 12, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune talked about Flores' situation.
"My sense has been that he's going to play this out, or at least going to look around and say, 'Is there a head coaching job? Is there a coordinator job that [I] would prefer?"
"He likes his job here a lot, but the best time to negotiate, to extract leverage from your situation, is when you are open to other suitors. If you are trying to get yourself in a better financial situation, the best time to do that is when there's the possibility you could leave. It creates enough leverage for you to come back and say, 'Hey, I'd like a bump here."
"So I think all of that, seeing if he wants to be a head coach again, seeing where his career may go, (he does) have the opportunity to explore that. And the sense I've had this year is that he has planned to do that.”
Could Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores really make a lateral career move?
Goessling didn't break any news by saying Flores is interested in being a head coach again. What was intriguing was the start of his assessment of the situation--the idea that Flores might prefer a different coordinator job.
CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones noted and confirmed what we already knew about Flores' contract status. He also added fuel to what Goessling fairly casually added about Flores possibly leaving the Vikings for another defensive coordinator job.
"Even if he is not a head coach this next cycle, one would think he'd be a coach's top candidate for defensive coordinator should he ultimately leave Minnesota."
Of course, Flores leaving the Vikings for another defensive coordinator post wouldn't necessarily be a completely lateral move. He would most likely be going somewhere where he'd get paid more, and as Goessling said, he could use those other options as leverage to get more money from the Vikings.
When Flores leaves the Vikings, it has been easy to assume it'll be for his second shot at being a head coach. But the chance he simply leaves to be a defensive coordinator elsewhere has suddenly become very real.