The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of work to accomplish this offseason. The main thing the team has to figure out is what the quarterback position looks like moving forward after J.J. McCarthy‘s rough season under center, but first, the Vikings could have a big hole to fill at defensive coordinator, depending on how things unfold for Brian Flores over the next couple of weeks.
After leading Minnesota’s defense to another strong season, Flores is drawing interest for several of the head coach vacancies across the league. Even if he doesn’t get a head coach job, rumors have suggested Flores could take a new role with a different team. However, according to one NFL insider, it doesn’t necessarily sound like Flores is a lock to leave the Vikings after all.
Vikings Could Retain Brian Flores, but There’s a Catch
Minnesota has been pushing to bring back Flores, and if he doesn’t land a head coaching job, would have a good chance at retaining him.
After a failed stint with the Miami Dolphins as their head coach, Flores eventually found his way to the Vikings in 2023, where he’s worked as the defensive coordinator on Kevin O’Connell’s staff for the past three years. During that time, Flores has helped turn Minnesota’s defense into one of the most consistent units in the league.
As a result, Flores has been viewed as a top head coach candidate throughout the current hiring cycle. The team he’s been linked to the most is the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he spent the 2022 campaign with them as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. That familiarity with the team has unsurprisingly helped him emerge as a frontrunner for the job.
While Pittsburgh still has a lot of work to do when it comes to finding its head coach, Flores seems like a great fit for the job. For a point in time this offseason, it seemed like Minnesota was resigned to losing Flores, but the new belief is that if he does not land a head coach job, he would return to the team for the 2026 campaign.
“Minnesota has been pushing to bring back Flores, and if he doesn’t land a head coaching job, would have a good chance at retaining him,” Adam Schefter of ESPN shared in a post on X.
Vikings Hoping Brian Flores Will Return for 2026 Campaign
GettyVIkings coach Brian Flores
While Flores didn’t enjoy much success during his time with the Dolphins as their head coach, he’s done so well with the Vikings that he’s quickly re-emerged as a top head coach candidate. Minnesota obviously isn’t going to stand in Flores’ way when it comes to his quest to become a head coach again, but it obviously would rather keep him in town for at least one more season.
At this stage of the game, it seems like it’s head coach or bust for Flores, as he doesn’t appear to be intent on making a lateral move by taking on a defensive coordinator job with another team. As we have seen early this offseason, though, the head coach market is very volatile, which means Flores’ status will be worth keeping tabs on until he makes an official decision on his future.
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