<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0y7aVg_0vj4YUqg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0y7aVg_0vj4YUqg00" width="788" height="444" ><figcaption>Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure>If you’re a Minnesota Vikings fan who needs to be pinched in an effort to determine if the 3-0 start is too good to be true, the pinch may arrive next offseason.Vaunted Vikings Coach May Not Stick Around for LongAccording to ESPN, defensive coordinator Brian Flores is turning heads around the NFL, which could translate to another head coaching assignment for the coveted defensive coach. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2SUfqO_0vj4YUqg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2SUfqO_0vj4YUqg00" width="788" height="399" ><figcaption>Minnesota Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center on July 25th, 2024. Flores was hired in February 2023 to take over for Ed Donatell after Minnesota finished 30th in points allowed.</figcaption></figure>“Right now the buzziest coordinator in the league is former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who’s in his second season running the Vikings’ defense. On performance alone, he’s unassailable,” ESPN’s <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/41417187/nfl-week-4-buzz-news-updates-fantasy-tips-predictions-questions">Dan Graziano wrote</a> this week. “The Vikings have allowed a total of 30 points this season to the Giants, 49ers and Texans, and Flores is drawing raves for the way he disguises pressures and confuses quarterbacks. It started last season in Minnesota, but the players are executing it at a much higher level in Year 2 of the system.”The Vikings’ defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL <a href="https://ftnfantasy.com/dvoa/nfl/team-total-dvoa">per DVOA</a> heading into Week 4. Minnesota travels to Lambeau Field <a href="https://vikingsterritory.com/2024/news/top_news/youll-never-believe-the-vikings-consensus-power-ranking">this weekend</a> to face the Green Bay Packers.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0AKnla_0vj4YUqg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0AKnla_0vj4YUqg00" width="666" height="444" ><figcaption>Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure>“The question with Flores as a head-coaching candidate is, of course, that he still has a pending lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in the league’s hiring practices,” Graziano continued. “The Vikings’ defense could be the reincarnation of the 1985 Bears and it would still be hard to imagine an owner hiring a head coach who’s in the middle of suing the league.”Flores served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 before shenanigans ensued. Miami allegedly wanted Flores to tank, tampered with Tom Brady (it lost draft picks for it), and whisked Flores out of town. Mike McDaniel landed the job soon after.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1gse1s_0vj4YUqg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1gse1s_0vj4YUqg00" width="788" height="395" ><figcaption>Minnesota Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center. Flores was hired in February 2023 to take over for Ed Donatel after Minnesota finished 30th in points allowed.</figcaption></figure>Back in February, after Flores received no head coaching nibbles during the NFL’s annual carousel, CBS Sports nominated him as a hot candidate for the 2025 cycle. “He didn’t generate much, if any, interest as a head coach despite stellar work as Minnesota’s defensive chief in 2023. There may be lingering concerns from his polarizing time with — and after — the Dolphins. But another big year with the Vikings would bolster his resume,” CBS Sports’ <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-2025-nfl-head-coaching-candidates-bill-belichick-mike-vrabel-among-11-biggest-names-set-to-be-available/">Cody Benjamin wrote</a> seven months ago.Now, with Flores’ defense absolutely humming, Benjamin’s forecast feels more imminent than ever.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4GeyLP_0vj4YUqg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4GeyLP_0vj4YUqg00" width="788" height="435" ><figcaption>Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O’Connell introduced new Defensive Coordinator B. Flores from the TCO Performance Center on February 15th, 2023. Flores coached for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Vikings in 2023.</figcaption></figure>The rumor mill hinted earlier this year that Flores would only depart the Vikings for a stable franchise — probably because he doesn’t want to get burned again, akin to the Miami fallout. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, or Cincinnati Bengals might make sense at a surface glance.If Flores left Minnesota, the Vikings would likely explore one of his understudies, like defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, for the 2025 defensive coordinator gig.Flores will turn 44 in February. <a href="https://vikingsterritory.com/author/dustin-baker">Dustin Baker</a> is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSlcQJDC-H7tWtkzGyAQ7Xg">VikesNow</a>. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. All statistics provided by <a href="https://stathead.com/football/">Pro Football Reference / Stathead</a>; all contractual information provided by <a href="https://overthecap.com/">OverTheCap.com</a>.</div></body>

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Vaunted Vikings Coach May Not Stick Around for Long

If you’re a Minnesota Vikings fan who needs to be pinched in an effort to determine if the 3-0 start is too good to be true, the pinch may arrive next offseason. Vaunted Vikings Coach May Not Stick Around for Long. According to ESPN, defensive coordinator Brian Flores is...