The carousel went round and round and not once did Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores receive a call. Though that much was pretty much assumed given the reports that surfaced throughout the process, Flores confirmed Tuesday at TCO Performance Center that he did not interview to be a head coach at any point this offseason.
“I don’t really have control over that situation,” he said. “I will say I’m very happy where I am.”
The fact that Flores did not garner any interest came as a surprise to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. Talking to reporters a couple of months ago at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, O’Connell admitted he was expecting some teams to ask for permission to interview Flores.
“I thought maybe there would be some slips turned in,” O’Connell said. “It just never came to fruition.”
In the end, the Atlanta Falcons hired Raheem Morris, the Carolina Panthers hired Dave Canales, the Las Vegas Raiders hired Antonio Pierce, the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh, the New England Patriots hired Jerod Mayo, the Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald, the Tennessee Titans hired Brian Callahan,and the Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn.
All the while, Flores was left to wonder why he wasn’t considered as an option. Asked if he thought his active lawsuit against the NFL played a role in how everything went down this offseason, Flores responded, “There’s no way to know.” He sued the NFL in February 2022, alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices when it comes to minority candidates.
“I try to be where my feet are, and that’s here with the Vikings,” Flores said. “I try not to worry about things I have no control over and focus on the things I do have control over.”
In the meantime, Flores is excited to get back to work, knowing he has a lot to look forward to after the Vikings added so many players this offseason
“I’m in a great spot,” Flores said. “I’m very happy, and I’m excited to work with our guys right now.”
It’s safe to say his players are excited to have him back.
“I’m kind of blown away that he wasn’t poached,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. “That was my biggest fear.”
After enjoying the best stretch of his career with Flores calling the shots, Phillips returned for voluntary workouts this week excited to hit the ground running. The same goes for safety Josh Metellus after Flores unlocked another dimension in his game.
“It’s really good for the team and selfishly really good for me as well,” Metellus said. “To have that comfortability with a guy and be able to learn and build off the stuff we’ve done in the past is really nice.”
Now, if Flores continues to get the most out of his players on defense, it seems like only a matter of time before he gets another chance to be a head coach. At least that’s what he is telling himself.
“All I can do is prepare the right way and do the best that I can do and help this team as much as I can,” Flores said. “I’ll let the chips fall where they fall.”
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