Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores sat side by side at Flores’ introductory press conference, old friends reunited. The New England Patriots took O’Connell in the third round of the 2008 draft, the same year they hired Brian Flores as a special teams assistant. But O’Connell and Flores quickly went down separate paths. Bill Belichick cut O’Connell in 2009, and he bounced around, playing in Detroit, Miami, San Diego, and for the New York Jets in two stints. After retiring in 2012, he coached in Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, and with the Los Angeles Rams before arriving in Minnesota.
Conversely, Flores coached in New England from 2008 to 2018. He held various roles with the Patriots, coaching special teams and as an offensive and defensive assistant. He also coached safeties and linebackers. After a tumultuous three years as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, Flores spent a year as a special assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He passed on the Arizona Cardinals job to work as O’Connell’s defensive coordinator. The circle was now complete. They were back together, but for how long?
The conventional wisdom with Flores is that he’s spending a year in Minnesota before seeking a job elsewhere. (The Cardinals are a mess, for instance.) But given Flores’ background in New England, he should eventually get an opportunity with a premier organization. Still, how many of those jobs regularly open up? Great franchises value stability. Flores went from New England, the winningest franchise in pro sports, to Miami, where the owner allegedly paid him to tank. That had to be like going from a sous-chef at a Michelin-star restaurant to running a McDonald’s. Does he want to return to grease fires and managing half-baked teens?
Not only are the Vikings a stable organization where Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell have established a positive culture, but it’s a franchise committed to winning. Adofo-Mensah has made it clear that he won’t tank. The Wilfs also expect the team to win, given how much money they’ve sunk into it. Still, Flores is qualified to be a head coach. He’s worked with the offense, defense, and special teams for a decade with the Patriots. He got the Dolphins to win, despite the milieu he operated in. Minnesota is going to have to get creative if they are going to retain him.
The Vikings could start with his role. If things work out well during his first year, Minnesota could tack “associate” or “assistant” coach to his title. However, doing so would be complicated.
First, O’Connell and Flores have different coaching styles. O’Connell emphasizes collaboration with his players, treating them as colleagues. He explains “the why” and gets them to buy in by explaining his methods. Flores is more of an authoritarian. He establishes standards and demands that his team meets them. O’Connell also sets clear goals and objectives. However, he runs his operation more like a college program than the military.
Secondly, Mike Pettine is currently Minnesota’s assistant head coach. Pettine, 56, previously coached the Cleveland Browns. He was also the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2020 and a defensive assistant with the Chicago Bears in 2021. Like Ed Donatell before him, he’s an older defensive coach. O’Connell, 38, seemed to like having experienced defensive coaches around him, which makes sense given he’s a first-time head coach and former offensive coordinator.
However, O’Connell moved on from Donatell last year after Minnesota’s defense imploded at the end of the season. And O’Connell won’t be as green next season. He’s already spent a year learning how to navigate a 17-game season, and he did so with aplomb, winning 11 one-score games before losing as a favorite in the playoffs. Perhaps it would make more sense to assemble a staff of his peers that he hopes will stay with him for a while.
Wes Phillips’ father and grandfather coached in the NFL, but he appears content operating behind the scenes. He’s 44, and as an offensive coordinator for an offensive-minded coach, he’s almost a super-assistant to O’Connell. Matt Daniels, 33, coaches special teams. He may end up as a head coach somewhere, given his charisma and experience coaching offensive and defensive players. However, it feels like he’s a few years away from getting that opportunity. By making Flores, 42, his assistant coach and defensive coordinator, O’Connell will have established a young, innovative staff that could be on the vanguard of NFL coaching.
I’m predicating all of this on the assumption that Flores works out in Minnesota. He’s an established defensive coach who proved his value in New England for a decade. Flores also has head-coaching experience, meaning he knows what O’Connell is experiencing as a young coach. And Flores spent a year learning under Mike Tomlin. He’s overqualified for the position he has. Flores should get something out of the Vikings’ defense, even with their off-season talent exodus. Therefore, O’Connell would have to create a new position for him to try to keep him around. It’s worth doing, knowing Flores’s pedigree and the value of having continuity among a young, innovative coaching staff.
