Brian Flores Is Down to 1 Franchise
The Minnesota Vikings had a struggling defense in the final two years under the leadership of Mike Zimmer, and those continued in the 2022 campaign with Ed Donatell calling the shots. Following the early playoff exit against the Giants, the Vikings had enough and hired former head coach Brian Flores to improve the team’s weakness.
Brian Flores Is Down to 1 Franchise
It took him some time to fully fix the unit, but he quickly changed the philosophy, implementing an exciting blitz-heavy system. His defense had problems early in 2023 and fell apart in the final four games of the season.
Flores tried to garner head coaching interest following his first campaign in the Twin Cities, but he couldn’t land an interview.
He went back to the drawing board, and the Vikings acquired some reinforcements in free agency. Bada bing, the Vikings had one of the top defensive crews in the 2024 season.
This time, he managed to get some head coaching consideration. The New York Jets, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Chicago Bears invited him to interviews, and he took them all. When asked about the once-vacant position in New England, he indicated that he would be interested in that, too.
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, and the Bears are planning to sign a deal with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
On the same day the Johnson reports surfaced, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they plan to conduct a second interview with three candidates: Robert Saleh (former New York Jets head coach), Patrick Graham (former Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator), and Liam Coen (Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator).
Flores didn’t make it past the first round and is now left with only the New York Jets opening unless he receives interest from one of the three other teams that are looking for a head coach, but neither the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, nor the Las Vegas Raiders have shown any interest so far.
The Jets have hosted numerous coaches for their vacant spot.
During the 2024 season, Flores was asked whether he still has the intention to return to the top 32 jobs in the business: “Now, I may get some resistance from my kids, who are having a great time here in Minnesota. They’re having a fantastic time here just with school, and basketball, and football, and friendships and things like that. I’d get a little resistance, but for me personally, it’s something that I’d love to do again. With that said, Minnesota has been a great spot for me. My family, we’re really enjoying it,” the defensive coach said in November.
He has always emphasized that it would have to be the right opportunity and situation rather than just any job. That would make the Jets a bizarre choice, as they just fired their head coach following their Week 5 loss in London versus the Vikings, and few teams can match the Jets’ dysfunction.
If Flores can’t land a promotion, his return to the Twin Cities is highly likely, and it would be fun to watch the third version of his defense with perhaps some reinforcements on the defensive line and at cornerback.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt