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Turns Out a Godfather Deal Was Needed to Keep Brian Flores in Minnesota
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- Turns Out a Godfather Deal Was Needed to Keep Brian Flores in Minnesota
Kirby Lee
So long as the Pittsburgh Steelers or Las Vegas Raiders don't hire Brian Flores as their next head coach, the man will return to the Minnesota Vikings for a fourth season as the defensive coordinator. How did this come to be? Well, Minnesota reportedly offered Flores a deal he "couldn't refuse."
Flores' market heated up, so Minnesota spent to keep him, stabilizing the defense while other staff pieces remain fluid.
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Yes, it seems the Vikings' owners, Mark and Zygi Wilf , pulled off a Godfather-style agreement for their defensive boss.
The Wilfs Paid Big Time to Keep Brian Flores in Minnesota
Vikings fans rejoiced at this week's Flores news.
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores scans the field from the sideline as the postseason intensity ramps up. Midway through the paragraph on Jan 13, 2025, the scene at State Farm Stadium captured Flores managing pressure packages and communication while Minnesota battled the Rams in a win-or-go-home road playoff setting with stakes rising and margins shrinking. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Godfather Deal
It took mucho dinero to keep Flores in Minnesota and understably so. Though the figure was not announced — coaching contracts are notoriously hush-hush — NFL Network 's Tom Pelissero shed some light this week.
"The short version is, the only way to get Brian Flores is as your head coach. Up until yesterday, you could have potentially lured him as a defensive coordinator. I know Kevin O'Connell was always confident that Brian Flores was going to come back," he told KFAN .
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"My understanding is they made a huge offer, the type that Flores as a d-coordinator was not going to be able to refuse. He is still in the mix; he interviewed with the Steelers on Tuesday. He also interviewed for the Ravens ' head coaching job. But if one of those does not come through, then Flo is going to be back in Minnesota."
The Wilfs took the Godfather approach to Flores' extension — an offer that a reasonable human could not refuse.
No Surprise That's What It Took
Of course, this is not surprising.
Sources tell VikingsTerritory that Flores was among, if not the highest-paid, coordinator in the NFL when he signed his deal in 2023. So the Wilfs merely continued the tradition. Flores also had nibbles from the Washington Commanders , who actually interviewed for their vacant defensive coordinator post.
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Flores brings the heat to the Vikings' defense, a blitz-heavy scheme that punishes young quarterbacks and holds its own against the league's veterans. Paying top dollar is no surprise; it's just a relief that the Wilfs didn't balk at Flores' request, nor did a team take the plunge on his head coaching services.
SI.com 's Will Ragatz on Flores : "Dating back to the end of the regular season, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell expressed confidence that the team would get something worked out with Flores to keep him around, provided he didn't end up as a head coach somewhere. It took a few weeks, which led to plenty of speculation, including some rumors of behind-the-scenes drama that may or may not have had any sort of legitimacy."
"Flores himself said publicly that he's enjoyed his time in Minnesota. But money was always going to be a big factor, and it sounds like he'll be compensated quite well to remain the Vikings' DC. He certainly deserves it, given how essential he's been to the team's success over the past few years."
Ragatz also mentioned the compensatory draft pick stakes, "Flores does end up being hired by Pittsburgh, the one piece of good news for the Vikings is that they'd receive a third-round compensatory pick in each of the next two drafts, per a 2020 addition to The Rooney Rule ."
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"Previously, there was some question about whether or not the Vikings would get those picks if Flores got a head coaching job, considering he wasn't under contract in Minnesota."
A Top 10 Defense Guaranteed?
This is how Minnesota finished statistically on defense this season:
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1st in Pass Rush Win Rate
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2nd in Yards Allowed
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3rd in Defense DVOA
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3rd in EPA/Play
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4th in Defensive 3rd Down Conv%
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7th in Points Allowed
And in 2024, the Vikings checked in second per DVOA and EPA/Play. With Flores back — assuming the Steelers and Raiders pass — Flores is virtually guaranteed to foster another Top 10 defense in 2026.
Minnesota Vikings owners Leonard Wilf and Mark Wilf react along the sideline ahead of international kickoff, taking in the scene overseas. With Oct 2, 2022 placed mid-paragraph, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium framed pregame moments before facing New Orleans, as league expansion and global exposure surrounded the matchup, drawing attention from fans, media, and international partners. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
That keeps the Vikings alive for postseason contention, almost no matter what. There was a world where Flores accepted the top job elsewhere, forcing Minnesota to start over on defense.
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Other Coaching Staff Turnover
The Vikings will actually have some coaching changes in 2026, unlike last year.
The offensive line coach from the last four seasons, Chris Kuper, was not retained. He's gone. The same goes for OLB coach Marcus Dixon , whose contract is up and is currently interviewing for the Cowboys' defensive coordinator spot.
Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper watches closely from the sideline as blocking adjustments take shape. Mid-paragraph on Jan 13, 2025, State Farm Stadium hosted a tense Wild Card battle with the Rams, placing emphasis on protection calls, run fits, and in-game communication during high-leverage snaps that tested preparation and coordination under pressure. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Meanwhile, defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones has spoken with the Cowboys, New York Giants , New York Jets , and Green Bay Packers about those teams' open DC jobs. And assistant head coach Mike Pettine retired.
That's at least four high-profile purple coaches either on the move or trending that way.
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Many Vikings fans pressed the team to change the coaching staff — except for O'Connell and Flores — when the season trended south, and as of mid-January, that request is being partially fulfilled.
