The Bears’ exhaustive head coach search took a turn toward the NFC North on Saturday when the team conducted a virtual interview with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Flores attended Boston College with Bears general manager Ryan Poles and has Vikings connections with president/CEO Kevin Warren, who used to work in Minnesota.
Flores’ Vikings finished fifth in the NFL in scoring defense and tied for the league lead in turnovers. They were tied for fourth in the league in sacks on the backs of Flores’ blitzing scheme. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams called him the “King of the Cover 0 blitz” earlier this season.
Flores comes with some reason for pause, though. The Vikings lost their last two games — the regular season finale and the playoff loss to the Rams on Monday — by a combined 40 points. The biggest concern, though, is how Flores handled his young quarterback when he was the Dolphins’ head coach for three years. Tua Tagovailoa told The Dan Le Batard Show in August that Flores was a “terrible person” and spread negativity.
“If you woke up every morning and I told you you suck, you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that you haven’t earned this… How would it make you feel?” he said.
Flores has filed a lawsuit against the NFL claiming discriminatory hiring practices, too.
The Bears were expected to meet with Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich later Saturday.