Vikings Rumors: Goodbye Flores, The QB Hint for ’25, and The NFL’s Havoc Leader
Even if we’re officially in the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are quieting down, we’ll still be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss the Vikings needing to say goodbye to defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Minnesota dropping a bit of a hint about how they’re going to proceed at quarterback in 2025, and MIN having the NFL’s havoc leader.
Vikings Rumors: 01.08.2025
Rumor #1 — The Vikings are Going to Lose Brian Flores to a Head Coach Opening
Possible but not certain. All we know is that there’s going to be interest a year after the NFL largely ignored Minnesota’s excellent defensive coordinator.
Adam Schefter of ESPN has been on the news. The Jets want to conduct an interview with Flores: “Jets have requested head coaching interviews with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and QB coach Josh McCown, per sources.”
Keep in mind, too, that the Bears are in on Flores. Again, per Schefter: “Bears requested head coaching interviews with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, per source.”
It’s easy to forget, but things were bad on defense before Flore came to town.
Ed Donatell’s Vikings finished 28th in the NFL by allowing an average of 25.1 points against per game. In his debut season as the DC, Flores took a huge step forward, pushing the Vikings up to 13th by allowing 21.3 points against per game. Another year alongside a sizable infusion of free-agent talent led to a 5th-place finish for the defense by allowing just 19.5 points against per game.
Previously, Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2021. He also spent a ton of time working as a scout and then a coach with the New England Patriots. The NFL doesn’t have 32 coaches who are better than Flores, but it’s possible the DC decides to stick around in Minnesota.
Rumor #2 — The Vikings Offered a Hint About their 2025 QB Plans
Well, the thinking was that Daniel Jones could get elevated to the 53-man roster for Week 18. Doing so would have allowed for him to factor into the compensatory picks formula if he were to depart once free agency arrives.
Janik Eckardt addressed the situation last week, writing, “he might be promoted in the upcoming days because the NFL’s rules potentially allow the Vikings to gain some draft capital. If Jones is on the 53-man roster rather than on the practice squad in Week 18, the franchise is eligible for a compensatory pick should he leave in the upcoming free-agency period.”
Kevin Seifert of ESPN offered some clarifying thoughts, noting that a playoff elevation could still occur: “Vikings did not add QB Daniel Jones to their 53-man roster for Week 18, but they could do it during the playoffs and still have him count in their compensatory draft pick formula.”
Sure enough, an elevation did happen. The team announced the update on social media: “The #Vikings have signed QB Daniel Jones to the 53-man roster and waived QB Brett Rypien.”
Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune reaffirmed what Seifert had to say earlier: “The #Vikings have signed Daniel Jones to the active roster, putting them in line to get a compensatory pick for him if he leaves in free agency this off-season.”
If the Vikings think that Daniel Jones will possibly walk in free agency, then it’s in their best interest to elevate him. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, never one to eschew the chance at gaining more value, thus made a sensible decision even if it’s a bad outcome for Rypien (who is an option for the practice squad if he clears waivers). Signing Jones gives them a shot at an extra pick. At this stage, however, there’s nothing set in stone. Good chance Jones returns but if he doesn’t there could be a draft pick coming back to the Vikings.
Rumor #3 — The Vikings Have the NFL’s Havoc Leader
Just how good is edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel? The 33rd Team insists he’s the NFL’s preeminent havoc machine.
A social media post from their account offers a list of “the league’s most disruptive defenders in 2024.” Perched above all others is Mr. Van Ginkel as the “Havoc Play Leader”. The 33rd Team comes up with the havoc number by adding sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, interceptions, and pass breakups. No one surpasses the 30 that Van Ginkel has.
The edge rusher truly can do it all. He finished his season starting all seventeen games for the Vikings. While doing so, Van Ginkel piled up 79 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 19 QB hits, 18 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 2 touchdowns. Outside of Justin Jefferson, Andrew Van Ginkel could be Minnesota’s best player from 2024.
Signed to a two-year, $20 million deal, Van Ginkel has proven to be an absolute steal. Don’t be surprised if he gets a pay boost during the offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.