Should Brian Flores Stay With Minnesota Vikings Instead of Chasing An NFL Head Coaching Job?

Brian Flores has the Minnesota Vikings defense playing at an elite level© (Image via AFP)

Brian Flores has built the stingiest defense in the NFL, and the Minnesota Vikings are the league's last undefeated team because of it. Now a familiar question follows him around the building. Will another franchise lure him back to the head coach's chair? Former Vikings receiver Adam Thielen says Flores should think twice. Speaking on the KFAN podcast on Oct. 27, Thielen laid out why the defensive coordinator job in Minnesota might be the smarter play for a man with plenty of leverage, a loyal fan base and an unbeaten record to protect right now.

Brian Flores And The Minnesota Vikings Defense Keep Producing Elite Results

The numbers explain the noise. Minnesota has allowed just 74 points through six games, and no other team has given up fewer than 103. That is the Vikings' lowest total at this point of a season in five decades. Against the Indianapolis Colts, Flores sent extra rushers at Daniel Jones on 85% of dropbacks, the highest rate by any NFL team in the past 20 seasons, according to ESPN Research.

#Vikings DC Brian Flores blitzes at almost 78% of the time more than 23% of any other team Top candidate next season for head coaching cycle https://t.co/FNBPHkZbia

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) October 15, 2026

Teams notice that kind of work. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens both interviewed him in January, yet Flores chose to sign a new contract with Minnesota.

Adam Thielen Explains Why Brian Flores Should Skip The Head Coaching Job

Flores last ran a team with the Miami Dolphins, going 24-25 from 2019 to 2021. His lawsuit against the NFL and several teams, filed after Miami let him go, still hangs over his name. Thielen thinks that history makes owners cautious. He also thinks Flores has little reason to care.

The security is the first part of his argument.

“Like the job security is pretty dang good. And you don't have to move your family. And people love you here in Minnesota. Absolutely love you. And you get to focus on one thing. So if I'm him, I'm saying this is a pretty good gig, and no one's attacking me if we lose. Like they're coming after the head coach, not after me. And so you have a little bit less stress.”

The second part is about money and timing. Thielen sees free agency as Flores' strongest card.

“If I were him, I would just go with that,” Thielen added. “Again, they have to pay him because at some point he's a free agent, and he gets to go talk to every team that needs a defensive coordinator. They're going to have to pay him just as much as probably a first-year head coach. I would just stay in that role.”

It is a fair point. A coordinator who wins like this holds real bargaining power, and the Vikings know it. If this defense keeps suffocating offenses, Flores will not need a head coaching title to name his price.