Jacksonville Jaguars make bold statement about Vikings DC Brian Flores' candidacy for their head coaching vacancy
The Minnesota Vikings had a fantastic season in 2024. They finished 14-3 with a huge factor of that success being on the defensive side of the football. The Vikings finished second in the National Football League in run defense and fifth in scoring defense. They also finished 28th in pass defense, but that's mainly due […]
The Minnesota Vikings had a fantastic season in 2024. They finished 14-3 with a huge factor of that success being on the defensive side of the football.
The Vikings finished second in the National Football League in run defense and fifth in scoring defense. They also finished 28th in pass defense, but that's mainly due to the team's success across the board in both stopping the run and getting big leads on teams.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been a huge factor in the team's success over the last two years in both building up the talent and getting the right players in place. His success has earned him a lot of interest across the league.
Brian Flores not on Jaguars final head coaching interview list
Now that there are only four teams left, most of the assistant coaches that have been targets for head coaching jobs across the league are now available for interviews. Two teams have hired head coaches so far with the New England Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel and the Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson earlier on Monday.
Later on Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced multiple second interviews with Flores not being included.
The Jaguars having just three guys coming in tells you a lot about where their coaching search is. Not only are there just three guys, but two of them in Patrick Graham and Robert Saleh will fulfill the Rooney Rule of interviewing two minority candidates in person.
The Jaguars job would have been an interesting one for Flores, as the defense has a ton of really intriguing pieces. Edge rushers Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen are a formidable duo and cornerback Tyson Campbell is a cornerstone piece on the outside. Pair that with Trevor Lawrence and you have a really good core to build around.
As things stand, Flores will likely be returning to the Vikings and that's a huge win for head coach Kevin O'Connell.
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