Insider connects Vikings' Brian Flores to Bears' head coach opening

Albert Breer reports that Flores is in the mix to be Chicago's head coach next year.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches from the sidelines against the New York Jets in the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a candidate for the Chicago Bears' head coach opening this offseason, according to SI's Albert Breer, who calls Flores a "name connected to the position." One of the reasons Breer cites is Flores' connections to Bears general manager Ryan Poles and president Kevin Warren, who used to work with the Vikings.

"He was a Boston College teammate of Poles in 2003, and the two have similar roots in the Bill Belichick system (Poles worked under Scott Pioli in Kansas City). I’m also told that Warren’s vetting of Flores with all his old connections in Minnesota (Warren worked for the Vikings for 15 years) yielded strong reviews for the 43-year-old. He will, of course, have to lay out a plan for how things would be different with Williams than they were with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami."

Based on on-field results, Flores certainly deserves to be in the mix for several of the currently open or soon-to-be open head coaching positions around the NFL once this season comes to an end. The Vikings lead the league in opponent EPA per play and are tied for the league lead in takeaways. They're also third in defensive DVOA, fourth in scoring defense, and tied for third in sacks. Flores is clearly an elite defensive mind who also has previous experience as a head coach.

But there are still obvious factors working against Flores as a candidate — which is why he got zero interviews this past offseason after an impressive first year in Minnesota. The big one is his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices. The other, which Breer mentioned, is his rocky history with Tagovailoa during his time as the Dolphins' head coach from 2019-21.

The Bears, specifically, might be an odd fit for Flores. They've seen firsthand, twice a year, how effective his defensive scheme is, but they also just fired a defensive head coach in Matt Eberflus. Teams traditionally swing to the other side of the ball when they hire a new coach, like the Vikings going from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O'Connell in 2022. The Bears' No. 1 priority has to be maximizing Caleb Williams, which could lead to questions about how Flores handles quarterbacks.

Other names mentioned by Breer as candidates for Chicago are Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel, Aaron Glenn, Kliff Kingsbury, Pete Carroll, and interim coach Thomas Brown.

The Jets and Saints have also already fired their head coach, and the Jaguars, Giants, Raiders, and others loom as teams that could join them. Flores figures to at least get some interviews in this cycle. O'Connell and the Vikings will certainly be hoping he sticks around for a third season in Minnesota.

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