Vikings Officially Interview Brian Flores for DC Job, But is Arizona Lurking?

Steelers senior defenisve assistant and linebackers coach Brian Flores officially interviewed for the Vikings’ defensive coordinator job, but could the Arizona Cardinals be lurking to give Flores a head coaching job anyways?

That is the question around Flores, who has interviewed for many defensive coordinator positions. The Vikings are the latest team, joining the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and the aforementioned Cardinals as teams that have interviewed Flores for a position this offseason.

Brian Flores has plenty of options after joining the Steelers for the season. His impact was tangible on a defense that turned around in a big way in the second half of the season. With Flores and new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin running the ship, the Steelers’ defense improved dramatically in 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.

However, another interesting piece of news came out with the accompanying interview. Dan Quinn, the highly sought-after Cowboys defensive coordinator, announced to teams that he would return to Dallas next season. As such, a person who was thought to be a high-level candidate for the Cardinals job is out of the mix.

A week ago, it appeared that Sean Payton was out of the mix as well. So, is Flores in the lead to potentially land the job? That seems to be more and more likely with his connections to Monti Ossenfort, the new Cardinals general manager. Flores has only managed to land one head coaching interview, but it seems that the Cardinals could be his ultimate landing spot.

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.