The Minnesota Vikings have begun their search to replace Ed Donatell and the first name is a big one.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings have requested permission to talk with Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Brian Flores for their open defensive coordinator position.
The 41-year-old spent 15 seasons in various with the New England Patriots but was a special teams assistant while Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was a quarterback on the roster in 2008. Flores went on to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins but his stay in South Beach was a turbulent one.
Flores alleged that he was offered a bribe by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to lose games in 2019 in an effort to acquire the No. 1 overall pick. He also clashed with ownership as Ross committed tampering in an attempt to bring Tom Brady to Miami prior to the 2020 season.
Flores was fired after the 2021 season and the Dolphins forfeited their first-round draft pick in 2023 due to the incidents but Flores went on to file a discriminatory lawsuit against the NFL.
According to the lawsuit, Flores alleged that he and other Black coaches were part of “sham” interviews as a way to work around the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach and front office openings.
While Flores’s lawsuit is currently under arbitration, he was hired by the Steelers as linebackers coach last season. Flores has also had a busy offseason, interviewing for defensive coordinator positions with the Cleveland Browns (who have filled that position with Jim Schwartz) and Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy.
The Vikings fired Donatell on Wednesday after a season where Minnesota ranked 28th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed.
