Vikings Calculating Ripple Effects of Possible Brian Flores Departure?

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Vikings Calculating Ripple Effects of Possible Brian Flores Departure?

Brian Flores - Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator — Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Eric Strack · Minnesota Sports Fan

Wed, Jun 18, 2025 ·

5 min read

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With all of the contracts being printed and signed at TCO Performance Center this offseason, we probably won't have to wait much longer before the Minnesota Vikings ink another deal somewhere on the roster, or at the coach/executive levels.

Most recently, it was a Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips who signed a new deal . Before him, there were a slew of executive extensions , including a fresh new deal for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. And of course, the waterfall of contract signatures this offseason began with an extension for head coach Kevin O'Connell.

In the three months between inking all these coaches and executives, the Minnesota Vikings signed the most expensive free agent class in the NFL, agreeing to deals with dozens of players , some new faces and plenty of familiar ones, as well.

And at this late stage of the offseason, with a month-long break between now and training camp, it's possible we see a flurry of contract activity stir up sooner than later. Which brings us to defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

As of this morning, there was a belief that the next non-player extension would go to B-Flo, who has single-handedly taken the MN Vikings defense from one of the worst in the NFL, just a couple of years ago, to one of the hardest in the league to figure out.

Brian Flores may not be interested in extension with Minnesota Vikings

But of course, working out a new deal with Brian Flores is not that easy. He's a former NFL head coach, who would probably still be leading his own team, if not been for his rocky departure from Miami a handful of years ago, a head coaching marriage that ended in a lawsuit against the league (and multiple teams) that is still pending.

According to Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) on the latest episode of his "Access Vikings" podcast , the longtime insider noted that, instead of signing an extension this offseason, it's plausible Flores rides out the final year of his current deal, then hits the coaching free agency market next offseason.

Could @Vikings DC Brian Flores be on the move after this season?

The way @BenGoessling crafts his response is interesting. It doesn't sound like an extension is imminent and even floated an idea that Flores could decide to "test the market" after this season.

"Brian Flores is… pic.twitter.com/KNUBtpu8kG

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 18, 2025

"Brian Flores is also in a contract year. There is, I think, interest in an extension from the team. I will be curious to see if Flores decides to sign something or if he tries to test the market because he was in those head coaching conversations last year with a couple of teams. I wonder how that's going to go."

Many pundits have the next player extension this offseason going to LB/S, Josh Metellus , who's agency has been working with the Vikings on a new deal going back to last offseason. But Goessling throws an unexpected wrench into that conversation, while mentioning Flores' willingness to wait and hit the open market in 2026.

Flores unknown affecting MN Vikings' talks with Josh Metellus…?

The longtime Minnesota Vikings insider suggests that the uncertainty surrounding Flores' future could be playing into extension talks with Metellus. Because if B-Flo were to leave… what exactly does Josh offer the next defensive coordinator?

If Flores were to find another job elsewhere, would the Vikings be forced to put their 27-year-old swiss-army knife defender — who's totalled 219 tackles, 3 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles in the past two seasons — back into the drawer to rust?

If so, then they wouldn't want to sign him to a lucrative long-term extension. According to Goessling, the unknown future of Flores could be playing into how far Minnesota has been willing to go thus far with Josh Metellus.

And if he does test the market, if it's a coordinator job somewhere else, or if it's a head coaching job somewhere else, is whoever replaces him, you know, that could be internal. It could be Toronto Jones, it could be Mike Cerrado, you know, whoever it would happen to be. Maybe that system is the same.

But if it's not Flores, if it's or if it's not exactly the same. Does Martellus have the same value if somebody else is calling the plays? It's just one of those things to kind of pinned to the clipboard, so to speak. As we're thinking about these things and it obviously they're gonna have to make a decision on him and tell us sooner than that, I would think. So if you're thinking about this, keep that in the back of your mind I guess.

Brian Flores has coached in the NFL for nearly 15 years , starting as a special teams assistant with the New England Patriots , before climbing the Bill Belichick ladder all the way out to Miami as head coach of the Dolphins.

After leaving South Beach with a lawsuit against the NFL in-hand, Flores landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers , as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach to Mike Tomlin. In 2023, the Minnesota Vikings hired him as defensive coordinator.

Why would Brian Flores want to test the open market?

Before he was a coach in New England , Flores was a scout for the Patriots from 2004 to 2007, something that has paid off for the Vikings in recent offseason, as he has handpicked undervalued standouts each of the past two seasons. Now, we'll find out how much he wants to stay and add onto what he's already built in Minnesota.

Brian Flores has gotten multiple interviews for head coaching jobs, since joining the MN Vikings' staff. And they aren't going to stop him from trying again, even if he signs an extension.

But it is possible that completely disconnecting himself from any NFL franchise, prior to the start of the 2026 coaching carousel could give him a better chance at landing a new head coaching gig. That might be what the Vikings DC is thinking.

Even if Flores decides to test the market, it's still very possible — especially if his legal issues with the league are still pending — that he can't find what he's looking for. If that's the case, he might still wind up back in Eagan, even after checking in on his options.

Only time will tell, but how it all plays into the Josh Metellus contract negotiations is worth monitoring, for sure.

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