Vikings DC Brian Flores says he 'would love' to be NFL HC again - ESPN

EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores left no doubt Tuesday. As the NFL's head coaching carousel ramps up this winter, he wants to be a part of it.

«Look,» Flores said on «The Adam Schefter Podcast.» «There's only 32 of these jobs, so I would certainly want to be a head coach in this league again.»

The Vikings' defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL based on DVOA, making Flores one of the NFL's top-performing assistant coaches this season. But before speaking to Schefter, Flores had left questions about his future largely unaddressed since his controversial ouster as the Miami Dolphins' coach after the 2021 season.

He subsequently sued the NFL and several teams, alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing by the Miami Dolphins. The NFL stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 draft pick, among other disciplinary measures, after an investigation into accusations of tampering that surfaced in Flores' lawsuit. But the lawsuit itself is still working its way through the legal system and the NFL's arbitration process.

Flores spent the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Vikings. He confirmed after the 2023 season that no NFL teams requested a head-coaching interview. Since then, he has been forced to address criticism from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who referred to Flores as a «terrible person» in an interview this summer. Another former Dolphins quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, said in 2023 that Tagovailoa «was broken» by Flores' coaching methods.

Speaking Tuesday to Schefter, Flores said there exists a public misconception of his time with the Dolphins.

«I think a lot of people view the Miami experience as [if] I see it as all