The Minnesota Vikings are down to one game left in the 2025 NFL season. Nonetheless, attention has already begun to shift toward the offseason. That focus includes growing speculation surrounding the future of defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
On December 27, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio reported, citing a source familiar with the situation, that the Vikings are actively working on an extension for Flores. He is in the third season of the role and is entering the final year of the current contract.
With rumors emerging, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared the latest on what he is hearing regarding the future of Brian Flores.
“I think he’s in a good spot here because that defense is very aggressive and very productive, and his contract’s coming up,” Schefter said on the December 29 edition of the “Pat McAfee Show.” “He’s a coaching free agent in the truest sense of the word. He gets to go interview for head coaching jobs, and if one of those works out, great. If it doesn’t, there are enough teams that need a great defensive coordinator. So Brian Flores can opt to stay in Minnesota.
“He can move on to go elsewhere. Like I said, they’re going to be six, seven, eight openings. Those people will need defensive coordinators, and his contract’s up. So he’s not locked in staying in Minnesota if he doesn’t want to. He’s going to have some options here, and I would think that he will definitely get some interviews, head coaching interviews, and we’ll see how those go as well.”
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Makes Feelings Clear on Brian Flores
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Flores’ future in Minnesota, on December 28, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with reporters and shared his thoughts on his defensive coordinator.
“We have [had contract extension talks]; it goes back a long way before those reports,” O’Connell told reporters. “We’ve had recent [and] very good dialogue. Flo knows I love him. He was the guy three years ago that I identified to bring in here, and the growth, and just our relationship, and what he’s meant to me personally is so massive.
“That’s not even taken into account what he’s been able to do defensively for our team and been such a huge part of helping us daily, minute to minute, weather the different storms we had to navigate this year. Things are in a really positive place right now. I absolutely want Brian Flores to be the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings as long as we can have him.”
Cowboys Eye Brian Flores for DC Position
While the Vikings could be okay with losing Flores to a team to become their next head coach, they might not be fine with losing him to another rival to be their next defensive coordinator.
Nonetheless, in a separate report, Florio reported on December 28 that the Dallas Cowboys see Flores as an option to become their defensive coordinator.
“Dallas seems to be destined to fire defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, after a disastrous reunion year,” Florio wrote in his report. “And the increasing chatter in league circles is that the Cowboys will be firmly in play for Flores.
“The Vikings, we’re told, are keenly aware of the possibility. And while the Vikings should have exclusive rights to negotiate with Flores until his contract expires, we all know by now that tampering is as rampant in pro football as flopping mouthpieces that never seem to make their way into players’ mouths.”
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