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Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer
EAGAN, Minn. – Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores made his intentions clear on Tuesday: he wants to be an NFL head coach again.
“Look, there are only 32 of these jobs, so I would certainly want to be a head coach in this league again,” Flores stated on “The Adam Schefter Podcast.”
Flores’s Vikings defense ranks first in the NFL based on DVOA, placing him among the league’s top assistant coaches this season. However, he hadn’t definitively addressed his future aspirations since his controversial firing as Miami Dolphins head coach after the 2021 season.
Flores subsequently sued the NFL and several teams, alleging discrimination in his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing by Miami. The NFL penalized the Dolphins, including a loss of their 2023 draft pick, based on an investigation into tampering allegations that surfaced in Flores’s lawsuit. However, the lawsuit itself is still navigating the legal system and NFL arbitration process.
After spending the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Flores joined the Vikings. He confirmed after the 2023 season that no NFL teams requested a head-coaching interview. Subsequently, he faced criticism from former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who called Flores a “terrible person” in an interview this summer. Another former Dolphins quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, stated in 2023 that Tagovailoa “was broken” by Flores’s coaching methods.
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On Tuesday, Flores addressed the public’s perception of his time in Miami with Schefter.
“I think a lot of people view the Miami experience as [if] it was all negative,” he said. “Really, I don’t. I think it was a great experience for me and my family. There’s so much that I learned during my time there that’s made me a much, much better coach today … better in a lot of areas. Reflecting on that time, there are things I obviously would have done differently, but there are also a lot of lessons implemented.
“It wasn’t all negative, obviously. There were some things that I could’ve handled better, but I thought it was a great experience and I’ve come out of it in a positive way, excited about where I am now. I really learned a lot from it.”
Flores has spoken frequently about the football and social comfort he’s found in Minnesota. jokingly mentioning to Schefter that his family might resist a move.
“But for me personally,” he said, “being a head coach again is something I would love to do.”
