The offseason arrived for 18 NFL teams on Monday morning. That means the 2025 head coach hiring cycle is officially off and running.
One coach who’s expected to draw serious interest is Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who helped turn the Vikes into a ball-hawking juggernaut during the 2024 regular season. Minnesota finished fifth in scoring defense (19.5), first in both interceptions (24) and total takeaways (33), and fifth in sacks (49).
Flores’ situation is a complicated one, however, as his 2022 class action lawsuit against the NFL, alleging racial discrimination, continues to loom over his candidacy. Offseason comments made by Tua Tagovailoa, criticizing Flores’ coaching style during their time together with the Miami Dolphins, only adds another layer to the situation.
With that said, there’s no arguing Flores’ success working with Minnesota’s defense. He’s gotten the most out of his players, whether they be undrafted guys (Ivan Pace Jr., Jalen Redmond), new free agent acquisitions (Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Brian Cashman) or seasoned veterans (Harrison Smith, Stephon Gilmore).
Since the Vikings are in the playoffs, but did not receive a first-round bye, Flores can only accept virtual interviews prior to the conclusion of the divisional round on Jan. 19, per ESPN. In-person interviews can begin Jan. 20, after the divisional round for coaches whose seasons have concluded. For teams that reach the Super Bowl, no second interviews will be allowed until Jan. 27 and they must be concluded by Feb. 2.
As expected, the first interview request for Flores was reported on Monday. Follow along with every one of them in our tracker below, which will be updated regularly. The latest reported requests are at the top:
Brian Flores head coach interview requests
Jan. 6
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports the New York Jets have submitted a request to interview Flores for their head-coaching opening. The Jets fired Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start to the 2024 season and appointed defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as their interim head coach. Flores has some experience coaching in the AFC East, having spent 11 seasons on Bill Belichick’s staff in New England. He moved on to become head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2019.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the NFC North rival Chicago Bears have requested an interview with Flores for head coach. Chicago’s list now includes a slew of big names, including the Lions Ben Johnson, the Cowboys Mike McCarthy and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
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