The Minnesota Vikings have gotten three great seasons out of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, but the odds say the end of the line could be just around the corner.
Flores has only interviewed for one of the NFL’s nine head coaching vacancies as of Wednesday, January 14 — the Baltimore Ravens. However, the oddsmakers have Flores ranked as one of the top three candidates for a couple of different openings across the league.
“Vikings DC Brian Flores remains the HEAVY favorite still on @DKSportsbook to become the next HC of the [Las Vegas] Raiders. Flores’ odds have increased and are now at +150,” The Purple Persuasion X account posted. “Not only the Raiders, but Flores has the T-3rd highest odds to become the next HC of the Ravens. His odds are +450 with Kevin Stefanski (+350) and Jesse Minter (+350). Todd Monken also has the same odds as Flores at +450. Overall, the Ravens job is very wide open on the books.”
Ravens Predicted to Hire Kevin Stefanski Over Brian Flores
GettyKevin Stefanski, former head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Dan Graziano of ESPN predicted the entire slate of HC hirings on Tuesday, which if entirely accurate, might result in Flores returning to Minnesota. Among the most relevant of those predictions involved Stefanski ultimately landing the job in Baltimore.
“The Ravens know Stefanski from having played against his Browns teams for the past six years (Baltimore was 8-4 against Stefanski-coached Cleveland teams), and Stefanski is a popular candidate on this circuit,” Graziano wrote. “He’s a mid-Atlantic, East Coast guy who would fit in a place like here or New York.”
Graziano also predicted that San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, formerly the head coach of the New York Jets, will get the gig in Las Vegas.
“Saleh has been on Las Vegas’ short list in the past, and his work in San Francisco this season has caught a lot of people’s attention around the league,” Graziano continued. “Whoever gets this job must have a plan for offensive coordinator and the development of a young quarterback, likely Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. But Saleh is part of that [Kyle] Shanahan/[Sean] McVay network and should have no trouble putting together an offensive staff.”
Brian Flores Could End Up Prized Hire Among Several Open DC Positions After Head Coaching Cycle Closes
GettyMinnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Graziano predicted that two other current DCs, Minter of the Los Angeles Chargers and Chris Shula of the Los Angeles Rams, will land HC jobs with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, respectively.
Those outcomes would leave Flores on the outside looking in at the head coaching cycle yet again, despite all of his success with the Vikings.
That would likely lead to conversations about whether the league in general is unwilling to forgive Flores for the discrimination lawsuit he filed against the NFL and three of its teams — the Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans — after Miami fired him in 2021 following a 24-25 record across three seasons as head coach.
However, Flores has broken through into the ranks of DC regardless of any grudges and is already thought to be one of the top candidates for the open coordinator position with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Vikings also want him back in that role in 2026 and beyond, while Graziano’s predictions — if even reasonably accurate — are likely to result in several other open DC jobs around the NFL. That, in turn, could lead to a bidding war for Flores’ services as a coordinator, which would also be unfortunate news for Minnesota’s defensive future.
Vikings Get Bad News on Brian Flores as Odds of DC Leaving Skyrocket