The Vikings have requested to interview Steelers senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach Brian Flores for their vacant defensive coordinator job, according to reports.
This is the third defensive coordinator job that Flores will interview for along with the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns. He has interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching position, where he is currently the favorite to land the job after the Cardinals hired general manager Monti Ossenfort, who has plenty of connection to Flores from their time in New England.
Flores did not land the Browns job, as the Browns ended up hiring Jim Schwartz to man their defense. However, with plenty of options, it appears that Flores is hiding his time and waiting to make a decision on what to do next in his coaching career.
The Vikings are a playoff team, but lost to the New York Giants in the wild card round after going 13-4 in the regular season. That led to the dismissal of defensive coordinator Ed Donatell as they look to fortify the defense and make a run with Kirk Cousins as the quarterback.
With Brian Flores and new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin running the ship, the Steelers defense improved dramatically from 2021. The Steelers went from the No. 20 scoring defense to No. 10, and went from No. 32 against the run to No. 9, despite missing star outside linebacker T.J. Watt for seven games.
Regardless of whether it’s as a coordinator or head coach, it seems likely the Flores will receive a promotion at some point this offseason, and leave the Steelers with a defensive vacancy to fill.