Are the Vikings Going to Need a Plan C at Defensive Coordinator?

Plan A for the Vikings at defensive coordinator is Brian Flores. They've said all along that if Flores doesn't land a head coaching job in this hiring cycle, they're confident they'll be able to get a new contract worked out to keep him in the role he's held for the past three years.

Flores had a second interview for the Steelers' HC opening on Tuesday. He interviewed with the Ravens last week (although Jesse Minter is rumored to be the favorite for that job). He's also interviewed with the Commanders for their defensive coordinator opening and has received interest from multiple other teams in need of a coordinator. Rumors of behind-the-scenes drama with Flores are lingering in Minnesota, but again, Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings have said publicly that they don't expect him to be a coordinator anywhere else in 2026.

Plan B might be Daronte Jones, Flores' top assistant. Jones is the Vikings' defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, and he's clearly ready to take the next step and be an NFL DC. If Flores lands elsewhere, a promotion for Jones in Minnesota would make a lot of sense. The issue is that other teams are aware of his abilities as well. Jones has interviewed or will interview with the Cowboys, Giants, Packers, and Jets for their vacancies.

Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones — Daronte Jones | Images courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

With that in mind, it feels fair to ask a couple important questions. Are the Vikings going to need a Plan C at defensive coordinator? And if so, what/who might that be?

Despite Flores' contract expiring recently and Jones receiving significant interest from other teams, the Vikings have held no reported interviews with potential coordinator candidates. That could be interpreted as a signal of confidence in their ability to keep at least one of Flores or Jones, depending on how the cycle shakes out.

The optimistic view would be that the Vikings have the framework of a deal in place with both coaches. In that scenario, if Flores isn't hired by the Steelers or Ravens or any other team to be their head coach, he'd wind up back in Minnesota on a new contract (with Jones departing if he's offered a DC job). If Flores does get hired as a head coach, the Vikings would have a deal ready to go for Jones to step in and take over, which would provide helpful continuity.

But frankly, as plenty of fans have pointed out, this regime doesn't exactly deserve the benefit of the doubt in assuming that's the case. They mishandled their quarterback situation last offseason by letting Sam Darnold walk and assuming Daniel Jones would re-sign with them as the fallback plan before he left to join the Colts. The two situations are pretty different, but there are some broad similarities. Flores is the Vikings' Darnold this time around, and a different D. Jones is Plan B.

What if Daronte Jones doesn't feel like he can wait around for a Flores resolution and gets a coordinator offer he can't turn down? And what if, a day or two after that, the Steelers hire Flores as their next head coach — or Flores leaves to be a DC elsewhere due to drama between him and the leadership in Minnesota?

In that event, the Vikings would need a Plan C. Maybe it would be another internal candidate, such as inside linebackers coach Mike Siravo. Maybe O'Connell could convince his former Rams colleague Raheem Morris, who was recently fired as the Falcons' head coach, to come to Minnesota. Then again, top DC candidates like Morris and Jonathan Gannon aren't going to be available for long.

Raheem Morris and Kevin O'Connell | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It's a fascinating situation. The optics of the Vikings not conducting any DC interviews while Flores and Jones explore the market aren't necessarily great. All fans can do is trust that the organization learned from its mistakes with the quarterback situation last offseason.

With four of the 10 head coaching vacancies filled, this story should have a resolution fairly soon.

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