Minnesota Vikings are working to secure their biggest free agent early, and it could change everything about the offseason
The Minnesota Vikings know they have to find a way to keep Brian Flores, and they have already ramped it up.
The Minnesota Vikings are working on signing defensive coordinator Brian Flores to a contract extension, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Flores has arguably been the best defensive coordinator in the NFL over the past three seasons, and his exemplary game against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day. It wasn’t that his defense played great football, but rather the six forced turnovers on an offense that had eight in the first 15 games, and the Vikings won 23-10 with just three net passing yards.
Vikings are working on extending Brian Flores’ contract
Getting a contract extension for Flores could prove challenging. His contract expires after the season, but the exact date of expiration is unknown.
He was hired and signed to a three-year contract on Feb. 6, 2023. Signing that late could mean that his contract doesn’t expire until that date. The other factor here is that the contract could expire a select number of days from the end of the Vikings’ 2025 season.
Despite a lot of injuries on defense this year, the Vikings are fourth in EPA/play and fifth in success rate heading into Sunday’s Week 17 games. They are doing so without much luck with turnovers, having forced 21, but 10 of those have come in the 14 games where they didn’t have five or six turnovers forced. They have come in bunches for the Vikings this season, and it’s been a big factor in some of their inconsistencies.
If the Vikings ink Flores to a contract extension, it will be great for the 2026 season, but it also doesn’t prevent Flores from accepting a head-coaching job. If he does, that would give the Vikings two third-round compensatory picks, one in 2026 and another in 2027.
The real question here is why Flores wasn’t already inked to an extension? Back in June, The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling revealed that Flores hadn’t signed a contract extension and said it could be to explore head coaching and defensive coordinator jobs.
“Here’s the other thing I would add to this discussion, very quickly, we talk about him in regard to his role in Brian Flores’ defense,” Goessling said. “And the reason I bring that up is Brian Flores is also in a contract here; there is, I think, interest in an extension from the team. I will be curious to see if Flores decides to sign something or if he tries to test the market because he was in those head coaching conversations last year with a couple of teams. I wonder how that’s going to go, and if he does test the market, if it’s a coordinator job somewhere else, it was a head coaching job somewhere else is whoever replaces him. You know, it could be internal. It could be Daronte Jones, it could be Mike Siravo, and whoever it would happen to be, maybe that system is the same.”
What Flores chooses to do will be huge for the Vikings and the NFL at large, especially with the success of his defensive units.
Minnesota Vikings News
Brian Flores’ defense gives Vikings fans well deserved Christmas present by giving the Lions a giant lump of coal
The Minnesota Vikings thrived on defense, as Brian Flores’ unit forced a whopping six turnovers, eliminating the Detroit Lions from the playoffs.
NFL Draft
3-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Jeremiyah Love lands in a spot where he could become a legend, and a 3rd QB goes round 1
A new 3-round mock draft sees a third QB join Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore in the 1st round, as well as Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love landing in a perfect destination.
