Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant Brian Flores will become the next defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Flores, 41, spent one season with the Steelers as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. He was hired by Pittsburgh last spring after he was fired following three seasons as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Flores was one of the hottest names of the NFL coaching carousel this offseason, and was also a finalist to be the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and interviewed with more than a half dozens squads for head coach and defensive coordinator vacancies.
Because Flores was with the Steelers for only one season, the team will not receive any draft pick compensation for his departure. NFL rules prohibit the Steelers from blocking an assistant coach from leaving to take a high-level position with another team.
The Vikings fired former defensive coordinator Ed Dontaell on Jan. 19. Minnesota finished 30th in scoring, 31st in yards allowed and 30th in yards per play allowed this past season.
The Steelers saw great progress in some areas of their defensive with the promotion of Teryl Austin to defensive coordinator and the hiring of Flores for the 2022 season. Pittsburgh finished 10th in scoring defense and 14th in yards, despite going without star outside linebacker T.J. Watt for seven games. The Steelers improved from 32nd to ninth against the run.
It’s not clear if the Steelers will replace Flores as senior defensive assistant. The team first created the role for Austin in 2019. It has never had a counterpart on the offensive staff. Steelers president Art Rooney II said earlier this offseason he is open to a number of different configurations of staff moving forward.
“I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” Rooney said. “I don’t really want to speculate on kind of where we might go.”