Brian Flores Says 'Gut Feeling' Led Him to Join the Minnesota Vikings as DC
Brian Flores was still in the mix for other opportunities when he accepted the Vikings' offer to become their next defensive coordinator on February 6th. Later that week, he was set to interview with the Broncos for their DC vacancy and had a second head coach interview scheduled with the Cardinals, where he was a finalist. Instead, he dropped out of those searches to join Kevin O'Connell's staff in Minnesota.
Why?
"My gut," he said.
Flores sat next to O'Connell on Wednesday and was introduced as the Vikings' next defensive coordinator. Sporting a black polo shirt with the team's logo, he spoke about the process of finding his next NFL job and what made him decide this was the right fit for his career.
"When I came here to Minnesota, I had already interviewed at a few other places," Flores said. "They were all great opportunities. But when I came here, I sat with Kev, I met with Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah), and Wes Phillips came in, and Grant (Udinski) was in there. And I just felt it was just such a great camaraderie immediately. I walked out of here, and I called my wife, and I said, 'With all the things that are going on, I felt like this was the place for us, for my family, for me.'"
"There was still an opportunity with Arizona," he said. "This was, you get a gut feeling, I think we've all kind of had those, that this was the place for me and my family, this was the right opportunity."
Flores has known O'Connell for a long time. He was a rookie NFL coach with the Patriots — a special teams assistant — when O'Connell was drafted by New England in 2008. Flores recalled noticing O'Connell's leadership and team-first attitude during their two seasons together, and said he kept up with his career trajectory after that point. Then, in the interview process, the two clicked again.
Flores, who turns 42 this month, said he views this opportunity with the Vikings as a chance to grow.
"I think it was a great opportunity for me, personally and professionally, to grow. To be around Kevin, who, I know he's known as an offensive coach, but in that meeting, he can coach defense, too, I'll tell you that right now, and special teams. His knowledge of the personnel, and Kwesi's acumen from a personnel standpoint, I just felt like there was an opportunity for me to grow professionally and personally. So that was a big part of the decision to come here."
Flores choosing to come to Minnesota was, of course, a football decision, first and foremost. Both he and O'Connell talked about how they have a similar foundation and philosophy — a "shared vision" — when it comes to the game.
But this was about family and culture for Flores, too. He and his wife, Jenny, have three kids. His six year-old daughter took her first steps at U.S. Bank Stadium before the Patriots played in the Super Bowl there five years ago. His boys, who are 9 and 10, are thrilled that their dad is now a Vikings coach.
"Through this entire process, my boys, it was Minnesota and Minnesota only," Flores said. "They didn’t care about any of the other opportunities. They’re big Justin Jefferson fans, so when we accepted the position, there was a lot of Griddying going on in my house."
Ultimately, Flores felt like this was the right place for him to be. He spent 15 years with the Patriots in various capacities, then spent three years as the Dolphins' head coach. Last year, he was a key assistant with the Steelers under Mike Tomlin. And now, for the first time, he has the official title of defensive coordinator (a role he functionally held late in his Patriots tenure).
Flores has interviewed for head coach vacancies in each of the last two offseasons, and it's logical to expect that he could be looked at as a candidate for a top job as soon as a year from now.
That's a bridge to cross at a later date.
"I'm where my feet are," Flores said. "I'm very excited to be here. I think any other opportunities that present themselves in the future, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Obviously I have goals and things that I'd like to accomplish in the future, but those can change. I'm happy right now in Minnesota. I really am. I'm happy here with Kevin and this opportunity, I'm overjoyed to be a part of this organization."
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