Cowboys Might Be Coming for Brian Flores

There’s only one game remaining in the Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 season, a week 18 home matchup (exact date still TBD) against the Green Bay Packers — just one of two NFC North teams that will receive an invite to the 2025-26 NFL Playoffs.

After Green Bay’s loss last night to Baltimore, the Packers are locked in as the NFC’s 7-seed and — like the Vikings — no longer have anything to play for next weekend.

Meanwhile, the (8-8) Vikings will try to extend their current win streak to five games. If they succeed, Minnesota would finish above .500 for the third time in four seasons, under head coach Kevin O’Connell.

But if there is one unit on the 2025 MN Vikings that has carried them to victory during this hot streak, it’s Brian Flores’ defense, which has held opponents to 13 points or less in three of those four victories.

Now, this is an organization facing a ton of questions entering the offseason, especially at quarterback. It’s quite possible though, even more so than QB, that the future of their free agent defensive coordinator is No. 1 priority on that list.

Cowboys interested in Brian Flores as a defensive coordinator

News broke last week that the Vikings are already trying to work out an extension for Brian Flores, but there is no word on how close the two sides may have gotten. One thing is certain, however.

If Flores hits the head coaching market, he he’ll get looks from multiple teams. But according to Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk.com), Minnesota may have competition for Flores’ services as a defensive coordinator… specifically, the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas seems to be destined to fire defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, after a disastrous reunion year. (Never mind the fact that owner/G.M. Jerry Jones traded the defense’s best player 10 days before Week 1.) And the increasing chatter in league circles is that the Cowboys will be firmly in play for Flores.

The Vikings, we’re told, are keenly aware of the possibility. And while the Vikings should have exclusive rights to negotiate with Flores until his contract expires, we all know by now that tampering is as rampant in pro football as flopping mouthpieces that never seem to make their way into players’ mouths.

Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk.com

Unfortunately, the MN Vikings have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for weeks now. That isn’t on Flores, whose defense is the only thing keeping them from the top of the draft, come April.

Minnesota Vikings will fight… but for who?

But you learn a lot about yourself, with failure. And this year, we found something VERY important out about this team — something we may not have known had the season not gone up in smoke early, like it did.

No matter what the Minnesota Vikings are playing for, or how disappointing the results on the field have been, the team is going to fight tooth and nail every time they put on the uniform.

Related: MN Vikings Trying to Talk Player/Coach Harrison Smith Out of Retirement

And believe it or not, that is a rare thing in the sports world, even at the professional level where guys are playing for paychecks. Now, we know a lot of that no-quit attitude is passed down from O’Connell himself.

But how much of it comes from Flores’ ability to rally his defense? Hopefully, we don’t have to find out in 2026 because if the MN Vikings want to be the playoff team they think they will be, they’ll need B-Flo running that side of the ball.