Brian Flores‘ contract with the Vikings expires this offseason, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Unsurprisingly, the team would like to keep Flores in Minnesota, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. However, Flores is expected to receive interest in other head coaching jobs. He interviewed with the Bears, Jaguars, and Jets last offseason and has likely raised his stock further with the Vikings’ strong defensive showing this year.
Flores, 44, came aboard in 2023 and his unit finished 13th in scoring and 16th in total defense. The next year, they ranked fifth in the former and stayed at 16th in the latter. This season, the Vikings have surrendered just 4.8 yards per play and 292.7 yards per game, the fifth-lowest marks in the league, while their 20.6 points per game ranks 10th.
Flores’ blitz-heavy defense is uniquely suited to disrupt opposing passing games, which have averaged just 168.8 yards per game against Minnesota. His players have spoken glowingly of both the creativity of his scheme and his ability to implement and teach it.
Perceptions of Flores around the league may have changed in the wake of the Dolphins’ struggles over the last few years, Jones also noted. Clashes with owner Stephen Ross and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa signaled that Flores’ personality might not be conducive to a head coaching job, but it become clear that he was not the only – and perhaps not even the biggest – problem in Miami.
Flores’ ongoing class-action suit against the NFL and several teams is another factor in his candidacy for head coaching gigs. One of those teams is the Giants, who have one of the two current head coaching vacancies in the league, which immediately rules him out for that job. Others beyond the Titans’ could become available