Brian Flores’ future is still in doubt as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, and the Vikings have a fascinating candidate pool

Brian Flores could be out as the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, and Kevin O’Connell has some fascinating candidates to choose from.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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We are one week removed from the Minnesota Vikings’ 16-3 season-ending victory against the Green Bay Packers, and the future of defensive coordinator Brian Flores is still in doubt.

With Flores’ contract expiring on Wednesday, Jan. 14, only the Baltimore Ravens have officially requested him for a head coaching interview.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell could be looking to hire his third defensive coordinator in five seasons on the job. There are some interesting candidates out there, including two head coaches who were fired this week.

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator candidates

Raheem Morris

When looking at candidates to be the next defensive coordinator, the first place to look is at coaches who have ties to O’Connell. He spent time in Los Angeles with Morris in 2021, where they both helped the Rams win the Super Bowl. Morris stayed in Los Angeles for the following two seasons before spending the last two as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

When he was the defensive coordinator for the Rams, the units weren’t exactly great. Plus, he runs a very different scheme from what Flores has run over the last three years. Will O’Connell want to change schemes again? That’s a different question.

Jonathan Gannon

Gannon was just relieved as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after a 3-14 season. As a head coach, he wasn’t up to the challenge, but his defense was really interesting in Arizona.

The Cardinals attacked offenses in multiple ways with creative blitzes and versatile pieces in the front seven. They were at their best in the 2024 season, ranking 15th in points allowed despite a talent deficiency.

Gannon, 43, was the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022. In that period, the Eagles’ defense was eighth in EPA/play and 19th in success rate.

Nick Rallis

Rallis was the defensive coordinator under Gannon, and he called the plays. The 32-year-old has been with Gannon since both served as Vikings assistant coaches under Mike Zimmer. He was the linebackers coach under Gannon with the Philadelphia Eagles.

While Gannon oversaw the defense, you can argue Rallis was the architect, and his savvy blitzes fit with what the Vikings like to do on defense under Flores. He would be a high-upside candidate who can potentially keep the unit at a high level.

Jerod Mayo

Mayo is connected to O’Connell from his playing days with the New England Patriots. We know what Mayo did as a head coach wasn’t great, but there is a track record of leading successful defensive units. While he never held the title of defensive coordinator, Mayo was the primary play-caller from 2019 to 2023, and the Patriots ranked first overall in 2019, second in 2021, and seventh in 2020.

Things took a tailspin from 2022 to 2024, mainly due to the poor talent acquisition from the front office. Give him what the Vikings have, and Mayo could be very successful.

Matt Patricia

Patricia has a long, complicated resume. He’s been a defensive coordinator for the better part of two decades, along with a poor head coaching stint with the Detroit Lions. Even so, Patricia is from the same tree that Flores is from.

He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes and had a great season coordinating that unit. Coming back to the NFL may not be what he wants, but it could work well.

Daronte Jones

There are only two realistic in-house options: Mike Siravo and Jones, with the latter being the more likely option. At 47 years old, Jones has been with the Vikings for five of the last six years, with a gap year in 2021 when he was the defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers.

For the last three years, Jones has been the pass game coordinator for the Vikings. As Flores’s right-hand man, he would be the obvious in-house candidate to continue this scheme. Plus, Jones could end up adding in his own wrinkles, having spent time under Lou Anarumo, Mike Zimmer, and Ed Donatell.

Tem Lukabu

Lukabu is a wild card in this discussion. He is the linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars under Anthony Campanile. The linebackers group for the Jaguars took a huge step forward this season, including Devin Lloyd turning himself into a likely All-Pro.

He’s been coaching in the NFL and college football for the past 20 years, and was the defensive coordinator at Boston College from 2020-2022 under Jeff Hafley, who is now the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

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