Vikings DC stays content material regardless of not touchdown NFL head teaching job

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The Minnesota Vikings held a compulsory minicamp this week, and Brian Flores stood shut by as Vikings defensive gamers participated in drills.

Earlier this yr, it wasn't clear Flores could be carrying a Vikings cap when the group's offseason program kicked off. The previous Miami Dolphins head coach drew curiosity from a number of NFL groups that had head teaching openings through the newest hiring cycle.

The Chicago Bears and the New York Jets had been amongst groups that confirmed they met with Flores for an interview in January.

Flores didn't land one other head teaching alternative and returned for his third season because the Vikings' defensive coordinator.

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Defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings earlier than a sport towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers at U.S. Financial institution Stadium Dec. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Photographs)

Flores had success in his first couple of seasons with the Vikings, and his revolutionary schemes had been broadly credited for the franchise's defensive turnaround. Though the common season remains to be months away, Flores' creativity and aggressive type of play-calling was already on show at minicamp.

Throughout full group drills Thursday, an surprising pre-snap alignment by the protection prompted new middle Ryan Kelly to ask Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell in regards to the name he ought to make for blocking that play.

"Your guess is pretty much as good as mine," O'Connell advised Kelly, he later recounted to reporters. "I've obtained no thought what they’re doing over there."

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"It should’ve been fairly near the top of the offseason program as a result of in the present day he ran some stuff that I didn’t even know was in there," O’Connell added. "That’s Flo. I problem him on a regular basis to do these issues."

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings earlier than a sport towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers at U.S. Financial institution Stadium Dec. 31, 2023, in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Photographs)

Though he will not enter the 2025 NFL season as a head coach, Flores expressed appreciation for the chance to undergo the interview course of. He added he was "completely satisfied" to be returning to Minnesota.

"Having the ability to sit in that interview setting and have a dialog for that position is clearly an honor, and people jobs went to guys who had been definitely deserved," Flores stated. "It was an ideal expertise, and I loved it. I’m additionally very completely satisfied to be proper the place I'm."

The Dolphins parted methods with Flores after the 2021 season. He filed a racial discrimination lawsuit towards the league shortly after dropping his head teaching job. The lawsuit remains to be pending.

The Vikings ranked fifth within the league in scoring protection final season after ending 14th the yr earlier than. They had been twenty eighth in 2022 earlier than Flores arrived.

Defensive deal with Jalen Redmond (61) of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the sector together with his teammates through the second half of an NFC wild-card sport towards the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Photographs)

Spending in free company helped improve the depth chart, however Flores has additionally helped flip unheralded gamers resembling security Josh Metellus and linebacker Ivan Tempo into key contributors.