Related: Seems Unlikely Brian Flores Finds Head Coaching Job This Offseason

Their biggest concerns are on the East Coast in the Boston area, where Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots mutually agreed to part ways earlier on Thursday. There are two jobs that the Vikings know Flores would probably leave for. New England and Pittsburgh.

So this morning, when ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano named Flores as a possible replacement to take over for Belichick in New England, I’m sure there were some shoulders that slumped a little bit around the Vikings Eagan headquarters.

Expect to hear the Falcons and Commanders discussed as most likely Belichick landing spots in the coming days.

Expect to hear Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel and Brian Flores as most likely Belichick successors in New England.

— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) January 11, 2024

Why Brian Flores to the Patriots makes sense

Flores to New England makes a lot of sense, which is why he’s been a listed as a logical candidate since rumors started floating that Patriots owner Robert Craft might be kicking Belichick to the curb.

Why does the Vikings DC make sense in New England? Because he got his start in the NFL out East with the Pats, where he coached offense, defense and special teams over the course of nearly 1.5 decades. Flores joined the Patriots as a scouting assistant in 2004.

By 2008, he was a coaching assistant, where he first crossed paths with Kevin O’Connell, a Patriots quarterback at the time. Before he left town, Flores spent eight total seasons (2011-18) under Bill Belichick, seven (2012-18) as a position coach.

Related: 2024 Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Roundup

The Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship game in all seven seasons with Flores as a position coach and won three of the club’s four Super Bowl Appearances. In 2018, Flores got his first chance to call plays on defense. New England won Super Bowl LIII that season.

Not only does Brian Flores have a lot of experience with the Patriots, but he also played four years of linebacker at Boston College, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in administrative studies.

Looks like Pats might already have their guy

But according to a report tonight from Ian Rapoport, not only are the Patriots already “strongly considering” someone else from Dan Graziano’s list for their open head coaching job, but it seems as if he’s already being coronated as some sort of succession plan that was already in place and communicated with the NFL.

Sources: Jerod Mayo is a strong candidate to replace Bill Belichick & if he is the choice, the #Patriots could simply hire him. No need to go through the lengthy hiring process — they established a firm, contractual succession plan in a prior contract & communicated it to the… pic.twitter.com/xZYUgEkUuC

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2024

I’m not exactly sure how this would all work but I sure hope this is what happens. Because the Minnesota Vikings’ chances at winning the NFC North are closely tied to Brian Flores coming back for the 2024 season. Probably 2nd to only Kirk Cousins.

But late Monday night, Michigan Football’s most plugged-in insider, Sam Webb, told his 247Sports subscribers just how serious Jim Harbaugh really is. “Several” sources tell Webb that Jim has already reached out to possible staff members and would accept the Minnesota job if offered. Harbaugh is reportedly “pursuing the opportunity hard“.

I was told by multiple university sources today that Harbaugh’s desire to return to the pros… if he can… has been made clear. Wednesday’s interview isn’t merely another step in the feeling out process. He is pursuing the opportunity hard. And as should be expected under those circumstances, I’ve heard he’s made overtures toward potential targets for his would-be staff.

Should that interview progress to Harbaugh being offered the job, every Michigan source I spoke with today… and there were several… shared their expectation that he will accept it.

Sam Webb – The Michigan Insider (247Sports)

Adofo-Mensah Wants Harbaugh; Others Not Sold

It was the hire of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah that made initial Jim Harbaugh to Minnesota steam unbelievable. If the Vikings want “collaboration” and “intentional decision making”, why would they hire Harbaugh, who would want A LOT of say in personnel?

But according to Webb’s reporting, it’s Adofo-Mensah who has Harbaugh at the top of his list. Apparently it’s Harbaugh who needs to convince some of the Vikings top brass, with the help of Adofo-Mensah, that he’s the right guy for the job.

This time that agent shared buzz from NFL circles suggesting that Harbaugh is at the top of Adofo-Mensah’s list, but that Michigan’s headman still needs to be sold to others in the organization. There’s reportedly a perception in league circles that ‘Harbaugh can be tough to deal with.’ But that’s a concern that his already-established rapport with Adofo-Mensah might quell.

Sam Webb – The Michigan Insider (247Sports)

Minnesota or Bust

According to both Webb and John U. Bacon, who wrote a book on Harbaugh and has been on top of the Harbaugh steam since the beginning, Jim is all in on joining the Minnesota Vikings. But if he doesn’t get the job, he’s going back to Michigan. There is no 3rd option. For Harbaugh, it’s Minnesota or bust (back to Michigan).

Harbaugh Watch, Day 31: Nobody Knows How It Ends, but…
-Harbaugh 2nd interview with MN Wed. Harbaug serious, MN intrigued.
-Word is Ross determined to honor his promise not to interfere with UM football. Miami looks out.
-Down to MN and UM.
-I'm still at 60-40 Harbaugh stays.

— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) February 1, 2022

The Ball is obviously in the Vikings’ court. Jim Harbaugh wants to be the next coach here and if he can convince the Wilfs or other doubters inside the organization that he isn’t a crusty old-school personality like Mike Zimmer was, then he’ll be the next coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Something we never would have thought possible when this process started.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The #Vikings plan to fly in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for an interview Wednesday in Minnesota, per sources.

The sides spoke Saturday to gauge Harbaugh’s interest in the head coaching job. Now, another big step towards Harbaugh potentially returning to the NFL.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 1, 2022

Per source, New York Giants DC Pat Graham will be in Minnesota on Tuesday for his second interview with the Vikings. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will interview in Minnesota son on Wednesday.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) February 1, 2022

If Harbaugh’s future plans included Michigan, it’s hard to imagine he’d take a trip to Minnesota on National Signing Day. Does that mean Jim is the favorite? Maybe not, but it likely means he’ll jump to the NFL whether it’s for the Vikings job or a different one.

Ryans Out, Graham Back In

Earlier on Monday, it was widely accepted that the Wilfs and Adofo-Mensah had narrowed their list of candidates to four. The finalists were Kevin O’Connell, Raheem Morris, Jim Harbaugh and DeMeco Ryans. That was until this evening, when it was reported that Ryans had dropped out of the running. New York Giants defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, who had his first interview via Zoom over the weekend, is back in the race.

Per source, New York Giants DC Pat Graham will be in Minnesota on Tuesday for his second interview with the Vikings. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will interview in Minnesota son on Wednesday.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) February 1, 2022

49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, as first reported by NFL Media, has declined request for a second interview. He’s out of the #Vikings running. Vikings brass will return to Minnesota after concluding interview tonight in Los Angeles with Rams D-Coordinator Raheem Morris.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) February 1, 2022

After completing their interview with Morris on Monday, Minnesota needs to interview one more minority candidate in-person to satisfy the Rooney Rule. By the end of Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings will have completed second interviews with all of their remaining head coaching finalists and satisfied all NFL search parameters. That means, 48 hours from now we could have our new head coach.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The candidate pool has apparently been whittled down to four finalists and the Vikings head coach search committee is in Los Angeles today, to conduct three of four final interviews. Here are the four remaining candidates and the latest steam behind their possible hire.

Jim Harbaugh – University of Michigan Head Coach

Jim Harbaugh is, by far, the most intriguing candidate remaining on the list of possibilities. Not only did he coach the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl birth during his first stint in the NFL, but Harbaugh’s one of the most polarizing coaches in all of football, no matter the level.

There’s no doubt that Harbaugh is serious about returning to the NFL. It’s been reported by multiple league insiders and those who cover the Michigan Wolverines at the college level. If he doesn’t get the Minnesota job, there are new rumors linking him to the Dolphins open position. So if the Vikings want him, they can probably get him.

Jim Harbaugh conveyed legitimate interest in the Vikings' head-coaching job during his interview with the team, per source, with Minnesota coming away feeling Harbaugh is ready for a return to the NFL. As of now, he's still considered in the mix for that job.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 31, 2022

Everyone I’ve spoken to in Michigan circles believes Jim Harbaugh’s interest in the Vikings is genuine and that he will formally interview as indicated in multiple reports. Where Michigan’s headman is in Minnesota’s pecking order heading into this week’s process is the real question.

Sam Webb – “The Michigan Insider” (247Sports)

Kevin O’Connell – LA Rams Offensive Coordinator

If I had to lay money down on one candidate to be the next Minnesota Vikings head coach, I’d place my bets on Kevin O’Connell. He’s the first finalist to get a second interview and the only coordinator remaining on the list who coaches on the offensive side of the ball. He’s consistently had the most steam behind his name since the beginning of this process, as well.

O’Connell doesn’t call plays for the Rams but he’s widely seen as one of the brightest young offensive minds in the league. After nearly a decade with defensive-minded Mike Zimmer, a shift to an offensive focus seems natural. I’m not the only one who thinks O’Connell is the favorite.

pic.twitter.com/z0SpfiWaEu

— Skol Vikes (@SkolBros) January 31, 2022

Raheem Morris – LA Rams Defensive Coordinator

Raheem Morris was a late add to the list of second interviews today. In fact, Sports Illustrated released an article this morning naming just three finalists. They had to update it to include Morris, after it was posted. That doesn’t mean Morris is out of the running or won’t get the job but it is worth noting since the Vikings were already in route to Los Angeles to interview O’Connell (who works in the same building).

Interviews with Morris and Ryans will satisfy the NFL’s “Rooney Rule“, which mandates teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for any open head coach position. O’Connell and Morris are the only two candidates who will coach in the Super Bowl two weeks from yesterday. Still, the Vikings could have a verbal agreement in place before and make it official after a 2021-22 NFL champion is named.

The #Vikings’ coaching search committee is en route to Southern California right now, where interviews with Kevin O’Connell and Raheem Morris should occur first. DeMeco Ryans is also slated for a second interview.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) January 31, 2022

DeMeco Ryans – San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator

DeMeco Ryans is the last candidate remaining for this blog. I’d place him as the 3rd most-likely to get the Minnesota Vikings head coaching job. His 49ers were eliminated from Super Bowl contention on Sunday night when they lost to the LA Rams. That would make his hire a bit easier from a procedural standpoint. Not that the Vikings would make a decision based on that.

New general manager Adofo-Mensah has worked most recently with Ryans (2017-19). They were together during his final years in San Francisco. Recency bias is something to keep in mind, given Kwesi hasn’t worked with the other candidates since prior to 2015.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Once you get passed the shock of such an incredible news story involving our favorite football team, a few questions quickly enter the mind of Minnesota sports fans. First, how realistic is the possibility of Jim Harbaugh actually joining the Vikings? Second, could he just be using this “interview” as leverage to better his situation in Ann Arbor? And finally, out of all the NFL jobs Harbaugh could have shown interest in… why Minnesota?

The Evidence

Well, thanks to the power of the internet and the many insiders who have reported on the situation, there are some pieces we can put together. This started back on January 4, when Bruce Feldman (The Athletic) reported Harbaugh’s interest in going back to the league.

And now, The Athletic is hearing rumblings, both from the NFL side and at Michigan, that Harbaugh might be tempted to leave the Wolverines to return to the NFL. “I think it’s real,” said one source this week when asked about the possibility of Harbaugh being interested in heading back to the NFL.

Bruce Feldman – The Athletic

The Contract

Then there’s the contract. Jim Harbaugh had his best season as the Wolverines head coach in 2021. He won AP Coach of the Year, took Michigan to the College Football Playoff and won the Big Ten Championship. Oh, and he finally beat Ohio State.

But entering 2021, Harbaugh was on the hot seat. So hot, that he was forced to take a massive pay cut reducing his salary from 1st in the Big Ten to 8th. His buyout was also lowering significantly. Jim earned most of it back in incentives, thanks to Michigan’s historic season.

Source tells The Athletic Michigan and Jim Harbaugh are close to finalizing a five-year deal — expected base salary is $4 million. With incentives, he could get it back to $8 million. Buyout is expected to be low.

Harbaugh hasn't signed. Is expected to soon.

— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) January 8, 2021

Harbaugh’s loyalty to Michigan changed when he took that pay cut one year ago. They offered him another extension earlier this month. He’s actually agreed to verbally but has yet to sign it officially. Could Jim be hoping to get even more in that new extension? Maybe, but he’s also 58 years old. The grind of an NFL season isn’t easy by any means. But it doesn’t include recruiting, which never sleeps and puts a lot of stress on college coaching staffs year-round.

Why the Vikings?

We know that Jim Harbaugh took interest in the Minnesota Vikings open head coaching gig after his old friend, Kwesi Afofo-Mensah, was hired as their new general manager. So that’s the first reason why Harbaugh would eye the job in Minnesota, specifically.

Beyond that, they also have owners who are patient and don’t mettle in what their team leaders want to do both in the front office and on the football field. That sort of thing can be rare and make said leaders feel much more comfortable with decisions they make. If Harbaugh had issues with 49ers ownership and/or the front office, a combination of Adofo-Mensah and the Wilf family could be very enticing.

Then, we move to the roster. While it certainly isn’t free of warts that need removal, it’s also stacked with some pretty young and intriguing talent. Obviously, Justin Jefferson is the shiny diamond on top. But the Vikings also have Brian O’Neill, Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks, among others. And let’s not forget the best combination of team facilities league-wide, between US Bank Stadium and TCO Performance Center.

Worth a Try

Even if Jim Harbaugh is using the Minnesota Vikings opening as a means to gain more money and more security at Michigan, then so be it. The ride alone will be worth it and raise the stock of the Vikings job in the eyes of other candidates.

But if that’s what he wanted to do, why would he only show interest in this job? Why not show more interest in all of the jobs that are currently available? The fact that the Vikings job is the only one Harbaugh has been legitimately linked to tells me that he’s serious about wearing a purple sweatshirt or jacket with his khakis.

Which is, by the way, a great combination.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Per multiple sources, the Vikings will interview the former 49ers coach for the vacancy created by the firing of Mike Zimmer.

The league office, we’re told, is aware of the interview and is awaiting the formal paperwork that must be filed for all head-coaching interviews.

Mike Florio – Pro Football Talk

The Minnesota Vikings reached out to Michigan and received permission to speak to Jim Harbaugh about their open head-coaching job, a source told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Though a formal interview has yet to take place, the Vikings had conversations with Harbaugh on Saturday afternoon, with both sides gauging interest in each other, the source said.

Pete Thamel – ESPN

We likely should expect this one to be a little quieter than many of the #Vikings’ requests to talk with NFL coaches; interest in a college coach is obviously more sensitive because of the effects on recruiting.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) January 29, 2022

Harbaugh and Vikings general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, crossed paths in San Francisco when he was head coach of the 49ers. The relationship between then GM, Trent Baalke, and Harbaugh soured but that clearly wasn’t the case between Jim and Adofo-Mensah. In fact, Courtney Cronin (ESPN) reports that Kwesi is the reason why Harbaugh is a possibility.

Controversially Qualified

Harbaugh would be, by far, the most controversial and high-profile hire the Vikings could make. We’re only eight years removed from the last time Jim held a head coaching position in the NFL. He led San Francisco to a Super Bowl in 2012 and had a 44-19-1 record during his 4-year tenure.

His college coaching resume includes a pre-NFL stint at Stanford, where he flipped a bad program and won a PAC-12 title. Upon leaving SF following the 2014 season, Harbaugh became the head coach at Michigan. He’s coming off a CFB Playoff appearance, a Big Ten Championship and AP Coach of the Year award in 2021.

Still, the Minnesota Vikings and their new GM would be taking a huge leap of faith if they hire Harbaugh. Can he be the “collaborative” type of “partner” that Adofo-Mensah talked about during his introductory press conference last week?

We might just find out. Jim Harbaugh has been moved from “SPICY” to “HOTTEST” in our coaching candidate heat check.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

“We’re going to dive into this head-coaching search and bring a partner to me and this organization that’s going to lead us to where we want to go,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’ve had some initial conversations, but those have just been initial; obviously, we’re going to dive more into it as the week goes on.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

So let’s look at the current list of candidates, which started at eight but has since been both shrunk and expanded in the last few days. Most of these head coaching hopefuls have already been interviewed. But two of the hottest names are yet to conduct any virtual interviews that we know of. Each candidate below has a heat rating (HOTTEST, HOT, SPICY, WARM, COOL), which reflects the amount of chatter linking them to the Vikings job over the last few days.

Jim Harbaugh – University of Michigan Head Coach: HOTTEST (Formerly SPICY)

You cannot create a Minnesota Vikings head coaching candidate list over the last few days and not include Jim Harbaugh. This after famed (and very plugged-in) Michigan writer, John U. Bacon mentioned the possibility that he’d leave for Minneapolis if the job was offered. Bacon went a step farther on Thursday when he noted that the Vikings and Harbaugh have already been in communication.

Harbaugh was head coach with the 49ers when Adofo-Mensah was hired back in 2013 and would easily be the most newsworthy hire the Vikings could make. If they want to find their way onto ESPN more often, Jim would be the obvious choice.

UPDATE: The Vikings have reportedly (via ProFootballTalk.com) set up an interview with Jim Harbaugh making this a real possibility. READ MORE HERE.

Patrick Graham – New York Giants Defensive Coordinator: HOTTEST

Patrick Graham tops the list as the hottest candidate currently on the Minnesota Vikings’ short list of potential head coaching options because he’s the only candidate to schedule an interview AFTER new GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired. He’s set to interview for the first time on Saturday.

Source confirms #Vikings will have a virtual interview on Saturday with New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for head coach. They have expanded their search field after eight candidates were interviewed prior to Wednesday’s naming of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 28, 2022

Many are questioning the motives behind this scheduled interview given the Giants are a non-playoff team whose defense ranked 21st and 23rd in yards and points surrendered respectively. But Graham was one of two coordinators who Kwesi had on a “list of intriguing candidates” (see below) while going through the hiring process with the Vikings. It’s also important to remember that, back in 2006, Mike Tomlin’s Minnesota Vikings defense struggled during a 6-10 season before he was hired away by the Steelers to be their head coach. That worked out pretty well for them.

Kevin O’Connell – Los Angeles Rams Offensive Coordinator: HOTTEST

Kevin O’Connell is right next to Patrick Graham as a favorite to land the Vikings head coaching job. He was the other candidate named by Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) as someone who Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had on his list of intriguing coaching candidates..

O’Connell doesn’t call plays for the Rams offense. That’s Sean McVay’s job. But he’s been one of the most talked about head coaching candidates league wide throughout this hiring cycle. He has a relationship with the new GM (SF – 2016) and the Vikings interviewed him once over Zoom already, before Adofo-Mensah was hired. He’s also one of the only current finalists who coaches offense.

Rams OC Kevin O’Connell ia name to watch in Vikings search. He was on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s list of intriguing candidates during GM interviews, and he acquitted himself well in Zoom call with the team.

Giants DC Patrick Graham also a name that came up (there’s a Yale connection)

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 27, 2022

DeMeco Ryans – San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator: HOT

DeMeco Ryans was the early favorite for a lot of fans and media members when the Adofo-Mensah hire was announced. That’s because the two were together in San Francisco for three years before Kwesi moved on to the Cleveland Browns in 2020. That was before Ryans’ defense completely shut down Aaron Rodgers last weekend in the NFC Divisional Round and sent the Packers home for the offseason.

DeMeco Ryans is still a top-three contestant but he has lost a bit of steam over the last day or two as Patrick Graham has jumped to the top of the list, with Kevin O’Connell also mentioned among national insiders. A couple of days ago on “Mackey and Judd (SKOR North)“, however, Darren Wolfson (KSTP) named DeMeco Ryans as one of three coordinators the Vikings could be interested in. He’s also the only candidate to be named by both Fowler and Wolfson.

Per @DWolfsonKSTP

He believes the 3 names to watch for the Viking’s head coaching position:

– DeMeco Ryans
– Kevin O’Connell
– Raheem Morris

— Vikings Central (@VikesCentral) January 27, 2022

Todd Bowles – Tampa Bay Bucs Defensive Coordinator: WARM

Todd Bowles is the candidate nobody wants but who continues to be mentioned as a real possibility. As of Thursday night, Bowles was the betting favorite at DraftKings.com to land the job. But odds for the next Vikings head coach have since been taken off their books, given all the uncertainty.

Raheem Morris – Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator: WARM

Raheem Morris is the third name mentioned by Darren Wolfson in his last podcast appearance with Mackey and Judd (SKOR North) this week. But much like Ryans, chatter surrounding Morris has quieted over the last couple of days while O’Connell and Graham have climbed to the top.

Jonathan Gannon – Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator: COOL

Gannon was one of the original eight to interview for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching job a week ago. Since then, his prospects to actually land the gig have fallen off the proverbial cliff. Unless something changes and he finds his way back into the conversation, fans can cross him off as a likely option. He is interviewing for a second time in Houston, however.

Kellen Moore – Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator: COOL

Kellen Moore entered the 2021-22 NFL season as one of the hottest young coaches in the NFL. He was a guy that many thought would’ve been off the table by this time in the offseason hiring cycle. He interviewed with the Vikings a week ago but chatter surrounding him has completely died ever since. Jerry Jones said today on Dallas radio that he expects Moore to be back as the Cowboys’ OC next season.

Former Candidates

Some of the one-time candidates for the next Minnesota Vikings head coach have either dropped out of the running or they have been hired elsewhere. Those names include:

• Nathaniel Hackett – Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator: Hired by Broncos
• Dan Quinn – Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator: Returning to Cowboys

If news drops that adds to this list or changes the heat-rating for any of the candidates already listed, this post will be updated.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan