Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores hopes he’ll soon receive consideration for a head coaching job in the NFL again.
“There’s only 32 of these jobs, so I would certainly want to be a head coach in this league again,” Flores recently said on “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
Flores is in his second season in charge of the Vikings’ defense. He has helped the unit go from 28th in points allowed in 2022 to third in that category 10 weeks into the 2024 season.
The 43-year-old, who was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, previously served as Miami Dolphins head coach from 2019-21, posting a 24-25 record.
The Dolphins fired him following a 9-8 season. In February 2022, Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Dolphins alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices and in his termination. He also said Miami offered him $100,000 per loss during the 2019 season in an effort to receive a top draft pick.
“I think a lot of people view the Miami experience as (if) I see it as all negative. I really don’t,” Flores said. “I think it was a great experience for me and my family. There’s so much that I learned during my time there that’s made me a much, much better coach today … better in a lot of areas. And just in reflecting on that time, there’s things that obviously I would like to do better, but there’s also a lot of things that I would continue to implement.”
He added: “I’ve really, really come out of it in (a) positive way and excited about where I am now. I really learned a lot from it.”
Flores interviewed for the Cardinals’ head coaching job during the 2023 offseason before Arizona hired Jonathan Gannon.
At least two NFL teams will be looking for a new permanent head coach in 2025. The New York Jets fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8, and the New Orleans Saints parted ways with Dennis Allen after Week 9.
