Brian Flores' Return to Minnesota Confirmed as Steelers Hire McCarthy

Brian Flores' return as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator is now essentially confirmed, as both of the franchises that interviewed him for head coaching jobs in this cycle have gone in different directions.

After the Vikings and Flores agreed to a contract extension on Wednesday, the only looming threat to his status as Minnesota's DC was the Pittsburgh Steelers' hiring process. Flores interviewed twice for the Steelers job, including an in-person second interview this week. But news broke on Saturday that the Steelers are hiring former Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native.

Coming home: The Steelers are working towards a deal to hire Mike McCarthy as their head coach, per sources.

McCarthy grew up in Pittsburgh. Now, at age 62, the Super Bowl winner gets a chance to coach the team he grew up rooting for. pic.twitter.com/utGTpvgcp6
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 24, 2026

It's possible that after his second interview with Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Flores got the sense that he was unlikely to land the job, which led to the news with the Vikings emerging a day later. Regardless, unless another team comes out of nowhere and requests to interview Flores — which seems extremely unlikely at this point in the process — he'll be back for at least one more season as the Vikings' defensive coordinator.

McCarthy is the sixth NFL head coach hired so far in this cycle. The other team that interviewed Flores, the Baltimore Ravens, hired Jesse Minter. The others are John Harbaugh to the Giants, Kevin Stefanski to the Falcons, Jeff Hafley to the Dolphins, and Robert Saleh to the Titans. There are four vacancies remaining: the Cardinals, Bills, Browns, and Raiders.

Flores appeared to be a real candidate in Pittsburgh, where he spent the 2022 season as a defensive assistant under Mike Tomlin. But his pursuit of another opportunity to be a head coach will wait for at least one more year. Flores has now interviewed for openings in each of the last two cycles. His ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and the behind-the-scenes drama from the ending of his tenure as the Dolphins' head coach (2019-21) may be two factors working against him.

Brian Flores | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Vikings are thrilled to have Flores stick around for a fourth year as their DC — and perhaps for many years to come. In each of the last two seasons, they've been a top-three defense in the NFL by opponent EPA per play. Flores' uniquely aggressive and complex scheme has set up all kinds of players to have the most successful seasons of their careers.

Coming off a disappointing 9-8 season in 2025, Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings will look to improve their quarterback play in order to complement what should once again be an excellent defense in 2026. If the offense gets better, Minnesota could easily return to the postseason.

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