Brian Flores Blasted by Departed Vikings Coach
The coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings has undergone some changes in the past couple of weeks. OL coach Chris Kuper was not retained for a fifth season. Assistant head coach Mike Pettine has retired, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced at his season-ending presser.
One coach who now appears increasingly likely to stick around is defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Pettine is not a fan of his defensive-minded ex-colleague.
This week, Pettine appeared on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show and he was asked about Flores, shortly after giving a glowing recommendation to the Browns that fellow former Vikings coach Grant Udinski would be a decent hire for their vacant head coaching gig. He wasn’t nearly as enthused about Flores.
“Probably not many that I would prefer to share,” Pettine replied when asked about his thoughts on Flores. “I mean, we didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things and that’s why I spent this past year on offense. I was there in 23 and 24 on defense. I’ll take the high road on that one.”
Pettine joined the Vikings with Kevin O’Connell. The two worked together in Cleveland a decade ago; in fact, Pettine gave O’Connell his first NFL job. In 2022, O’Connell returned the favor and hired Pettine as his assistant. A long-time NFL mind who has been in the HC position surely is a smart addition for a first-time head coach.
It’s also worth noting that Pettine interviewed for the defensive coordinator job in 2023 before the Vikings ultimately hired Flores.
Still, as a defensive coach, it made sense for Pettine to support Flores on defense. The fact that he moved to the offense last season is surprising, and this is the first time we’ve heard about it.
It’s not the first time, however, Flores has been linked to unsuccessful relationships with co-workers. Ryan Fitzpatrick, his former quarterback in Miami, said last January:
“I think he’s gonna have a really hard time. I think in the interviews he’ll be likable, he’ll be relatable, but when people say, ‘give me somebody from Miami that coached under you as a reference, so we can talk to them,’ I think he burnt a lot of bridges there, I think he alienated himself from the entire staff instead of having the humility to ask questions, to collaborate. By the end of his time there he became a dictator. He ruined a lot of those relationships that he built up through the NFL and his ego grew so big that there wasn’t any room for anyone else, and so that was why he got released at the end of his tenure in Miami.”
Fitzpatrick’s comments reflected his personal experience and perception of Flores during their time together in Miami.
Flores couldn’t get one of the three jobs he interviewed for last offseason. This year, despite his tremendous defense, he only landed two head coaching interviews and the Baltimore Ravens have already gone in a different direction. At this point, only the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be a viable option.
In the NFL, relationships often play a significant role in hiring decisions, and comments like these may help explain why Flores continues to face skepticism despite strong on-field results.
For the Vikings, none of that matters too much, however. The support he has gotten from his players can’t be overstated and the on-field results are ultimately what really matter. After signing an extension with the club, he’ll only depart if he lands one of the five remaining head coaching jobs.
Pettine, who got into coaching in 1993 as a graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, has now called it quits. He emphasized on the show that he reached a point where time became more important than money, wanting to spend more time with his children and grandchildren at the age of 59