There are many reasons why Brian Flores to the Cowboys doesn’t make sense, including an all too familiar problem
The Dallas Cowboys are unlikely to be in the mix for Brian Flores, and Jerry Jones is a big reason why.
With 2026 about to begin, it means coaching rumors in the NFL world are about to heat up. For the Dallas Cowboys, expect a lot of chatter around the defensive coordinator as Matt Eberflus’ seat continues to get hotter each week.
Over the weekend, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores became a trending topic for Cowboys fans as rumors emerged on him as a candidate to replace Eberflus if Dallas fires him at the end of the season. And though Flores is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, there are many reasons the rumors don’t add up. Let’s break them down, starting with the one Jerry Jones has shown time and time again is a problem for the team: It would take a lot of money.
Flores is getting paid, one way or another
The reason why Flores’ future is a fascinating topic is that he is on an expiring deal. That means even if he doesn’t land a head coaching gig—which he’s expected to be a strong candidate for in this year’s cycle—he would be free to sign elsewhere for another defensive coordinator position if he wished to.
But the thing is, after leading one of the best pass defenses in the NFL in 2025 and reminding the NFL world of his prowess as play-caller, he’s going to get paid big time regardless. That means the Cowboys would likely need to enter a bidding war for his services if they wanted him fixing the defense.
And here’s the thing: I just don’t expect them to say the highest number if it comes to that. And considering the talent on the Cowboys roster going into 2026, they would absolutely need to do so.
After all, this is the same front office that refused to even schedule interviews with the hottest candidates of this year’s coaching cycle like Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn. Every other team looking for a HC talked to at least one of them. Instead, Dallas was satisfied by talking to Brian Schottenheimer (Cowboys OC last year), Kellen Moore (former Cowboys OC), Robert Saleh, and Leslie Frazier. Both Schotty and Frazier weren’t interviewed by any other team with a head coaching vacancy.
Now, I’m not saying being a popular candidate makes you the right candidate, but to not even schedule a conversation sounds to me like a front office not willing to spend top dollar for the top candidates in the market. That would fit not only their free agency approach, but also that to ongoing coaching contracts: They allowed Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy to coach out their deals a combined three times, refusing to fire either mid-deal, which would require paying out the remainder of the deal.
And they’re supposed to win a bidding war for Flores? I’m not buying it.
Why would Flores leave the Vikings?
Money aside, let’s say Flores doesn’t land that head coaching gig. From a purely football point of view, the Vikings are built for Flores. The front office bet on him by aggressively by adding players for his scheme in free agency and the NFL Draft, which allows him to run a scheme that he would struggle to run in many other teams. Blitzing a lot with zone coverage behind is a tough thing to pull off. In Minnesota, Flores knows he can.
In Dallas? I’m betting he knows he couldn’t. And for someone who has a rising stock for a head coaching gig, staying put as a long-term investment is the savvy call even if he gets offered a bigger payday elsewhere.
If I had to guess, it’s head coach gig elsewhere or staying put.
Cowboys want continuity at DC
Speaking of Flores’ stock as a head coaching candidate, here’s another reason why the rumors don’t quite add up, this time from the Cowboys’ point of view. In November, Jerry Jones pointed out his biggest regret when it comes to the defensive coordinator position: Failing to secure continuity.
“When I look back, if I see one thing that I had to do over again, I would’ve tried to not change out our coordinator every year over the last three years,” Jones said. “Continuity, I know better.”
With Eberflus’ underwhelming performance, chances are continuity isn’t on the horizon for Dallas. But would Jones be willing to hire someone considered to be one year or two away from a head coaching gig?
As you can tell, even if Eberflus is fired, Flores to Dallas sounds like a fun, intriguing rumor. But when you stop to think about it, it barely makes sense.
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