Brian Flores was still in the mix for the Cardinals head coaching job when he spoke to the Vikings about their defensive coordinator vacancy a little more than a week ago, but that conversation ended with him out of the running in Arizona.
At a press conference in Minnesota on Wednesday, Flores said that he felt a “great kind of camaraderie” right away with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips. That meeting left him with a “gut feeling’ that the job was the right one for him and he shared another message that resonated when he thought about what direction to go.
Flores cited a sermon he heard from his pastor in Pittsburgh — he was a senior assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers in 2022 — saying that you “can have control or you can have growth” and that he sees a “great opportunity for growth” as a coach in Minnesota. Later in the press conference, he said “we’ll see what happens in the future” when asked about interest in another head coaching job after the 2023 season.
The Vikings will be hoping for growth on the field after finishing 28th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed under former coordinator Ed Donatell and Flores’ future head coaching prospects won’t be hurt if he turns things around on that side of the field.