It’s a smart play for a coordinator who has built a reputation for creating outlandish defenses that boggle even the best quarterbacks. At least Flores can use such leverage to get a raise; he could also return to the top job, a role he hasn’t held since his days in Miami, if he finds the right fit.
O’Connell said he has “a lot of confidence” the Vikings will reach an agreement to keep Flores. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, meanwhile, took a different approach to the matter, trying to play down concerns about a defensive decline should Flores leave.
“He’s unique and he has a unique style of play, but if you look deep down, what does Flo value? said Adofo-Mensah. “Versatility, physicality, the things that matter in good defensive football … that everybody values. Flo takes things like that and puts it together into a piece of art that’s different than most, but the core colors that are part of that painting, a lot of them share those same things.”
It certainly seems like O’Connell wants Flores on his staff more than anything else this offseason. We’ll see if his GM can convince the coordinator to stick around.