The Washington Commanders didn’t waste any time moving on to the 2026 NFL season. Mere days after the regular season finale, Washington decided to move on from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. With the Commanders already hiring former assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to their vacant OC role, they have now shifted to looking at the defensive side. Among the options they are researching, the Minnesota Vikings‘ current defensive coordinator has become a popular name.
Brian Flores was expected to become a hot commodity in the current head coaching cycle; however, as of now, only the Baltimore Ravens have requested an interview with him, according to NFL Media Insider Tom Pelissero.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk subsequently released information about Brian Flores’ potential plan to return to Minnesota.
“As we understand it, the Vikings remain confident Flores will be back, unless he lands a head-coaching job,” Florio wrote. “Of the eight openings, Flores has publicly emerged as a potential candidate, so far, only with the Ravens.”
“It’s possible, frankly, that the Vikings have a tentative deal with Flores, but that a decision has been made to not put pen to paper until he has exhausted all head-coaching possibilities.”
So, while Florio believes that Flores’s intent may be to stay with the Vikings rather than make a lateral move to another team, the fact that only one team has requested him for a head coaching interview speaks volumes.
Flores Moving On From Minnesota Might Be Better for Him Long-Term
Despite Flores’s well-known prowess for the defensive side of the football and reputation as one of the best coordinators in the league, the question beacons, why isn’t he a more sought-after answer as a head coach?
GettyBrian Flores went 24-25 as a head coach for the Miami Dolphins.
Following the news of Flores becoming a potential head coaching candidate, comments from former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick have resurfaced. Fitzpatrick played for Flores during his first stint as a head coach in Miami from 2019-2020 and had some strong words about his former coach that he released on his “Fitz and Whit” podcast last year.
“He was likable, he was relatable, he demanded a lot out of the players, but he was also able to get the best version of his players, and I really appreciated him for that,” Fitzpatrick said. “But as his tenure went on in Miami, he kind of became unrecognizable… I think by the end of his time there, he became a dictator. He ruined a lot of those relationships that he built up through the NFL. And his ego grew so big that there wasn’t any room for anyone else.”
Flores was most notably remembered for his poor treatment of fellow Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa following comments Tagovailoa made on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz in 2024.
Tagovailoa criticized Flores for his harsh development tactics of him during his rookie season, recalling phrases he’d heard like, “you suck” and “you shouldn’t be here”.
Brian Flores responded to Tagovailoa’s comments with remorse and acknowledged his previous faults, stating, “That hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me. But at the same time, I’ve got to use that and say, how can I grow from that? How can I be better? That’s really where I’m at from that standpoint. Do I feel like that’s me? No, but how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores?”
Despite Flores’s responses, these comments still painted a very poor light on him. Not to mention, Flores previously sued the New York Giants for an arbitration issue he faced when he interviewed with them in 2022. The lawsuit, plus his previous coaching faults, may be factoring that in to organizational views of him as a potential head coach despite his success in Minnesota.
Moving back into how Flores could become an option for Washington as defensive coordinator all depends on how he decides to handle the potential backlash his coaching candidacy is facing. While he is already proven in Minnesota, if he were to move on to another team and replicate his success, it could prove to be more beneficial to his future aspirations.
Revitalizing a Commanders’ defense that Pro Football Focus ranked 27th in the league this season would definitely turn heads, reinforce Flores’s growth as a leader, and help shift the perspective on him as a whole.
How Brian Flores Would Revolutionize Washington’s Defense
Acclaimed NFL YouTuber Brett Kollmann broke down how Brian Flores runs his defense in a recent video detailing the defensive coordinator’s scheme.
The video breaks down how Flores uses his signature blitz package to drive opposing offenses crazy. The Minnesota Vikings in 2025 blitzed at a league high 44.3%, nearly 11% higher than the next closest team.
This is because Brian Flores enjoys utilizing “two-deep” and “four-deep” fire zone blitzes, according to Kollmann. Kollmann explains how this is uncommon compared to how the majority of the league blitzing out of what is known as a “three-deep” fire zone.
While not trying to go too deep into the weeds about what all this means, just understand that Brian Flores’ defensive scheme is incredibly unique and relies on blitzing.
His scheme also utilizes a linebacker’s ability to cover the middle of the field and the backend’s ability to negate big plays. The additional pressure forces opposing quarterbacks to release the ball quickly and allows the linebackers to make a lot of tackles underneath. Despite Minnesota ranking second in the team sack percentage this season, their leading sacker is tied for only the 25th most in the league.
Flores’s defense relies on collective effort and a scheme that is used to disrupt offenses and could play perfectly into Washington’s hands.
When it comes to the NFC East, while the Vikings struggled against the Eagles early in the season, Brian Flores held Dak Prescott to 294 yards passing with no touchdowns and held Jaxson Dart to just 33 yards passing and an interception.
His addition to the Commanders could become pivotal in a move to get them back on track within the conference and could push the needle to get them to the top of their division.
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