NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears will have a new head coach in 2025. And like the team that fired Matt Eberflus on Black Friday, we’re getting an early start on the search with this series that will profile potential head coaches for the franchise that resides at Halas Hall.
Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores is interviewing with the Bears for the second time in three years. Flores was the first interview candidate the Bears kicked the tires on in 2022 after the team fired Matt Nagy. And while Chicago ended up hiring Matt Eberflus, that flamed out quickly and led the Bears to conduct its third search for a head coach since 2017. Since then, Flores worked a year with the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike Tomlin and has spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator of a revitalized Vikings defense. Is he ready for another bite at the apple?
Previous Bears Head Coach Search Profiles
- Ben Johnson
- Joe Brady
- Mike Vrabel
- Liam Coen
- Zac Robinson
- Aaron Glenn
- Pete Carroll
- Drew Petzing
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Anthony Weaver
- Todd Monken
- Arthur Smith
MORE: CHICAGO BEARS HEAD COACHING CANDIDATE POWER RANKINGS — JANUARY 13, 2025
Brian Flores’ Coaching History
- Defensive Coordinator, Minnesota Vikings (2023-Present)
- Senior Defensive Assistant, Pittsburgh Steelers (2022)
- Head Coach, Miami Dolphins (2019-21)
- Linebackers Coach, New England Patriots (2016-18)
- Safeties Coach, New England Patriots (2012-15)
- Defensive Assistant, New England Patriots (2011)
- Assistant Offensive & Special Teams Coach, New England Patriots (2010)
- Special Teams Assistant, New England Patriots (2008-09)
Brian Flores’ Coaching Origins and Influences
Brian Flores has worked for two of the best coaches in league history — Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin. And you can see how those influences have molded Flores’ style. Flores comes off as intense and aggressive. His defenses prioritize bringing pressure and often fluster quarterbacks. That Flores has experience coaching all over the field (linebackers, defensive backs, special teams) speaks to his ability to reach across the aisle and connect with players at multiple different position groups. That seems like a trait worth having if you’re looking to be a quality head coach in the NFL.
Two years after his head-coaching stint with the Miami Dolphins came to an end, Flores found himself working with another solid NFL head coach. Kevin O’Connell hired Flores in 2022 to replace Ed Donatell as the team’s defensive coordinator. The move has paid immediate dividends. Minnesota’s defense saw incremental improvements in Year 1 under Flores’ tutelage. In Year 2, The Vikings’ defense allowed the fifth-fewest points and forced the most turnovers. Some of that has to do with an influx of talent. But even with new faces, Flores made great things happen with the Vikings during the regular season (even if the postseason was a straight-up dud).
How does Brian Flores fit (or not) the Chicago Bears’ plans in 2025 and beyond?
Brian Flores received one interview with the Bears in 2022 and was not brought back again. It makes me wonder how serious the team was about his candidacy in the first place. Three years later, I have a different set of concerns regarding Flores as a candidate.
I cannot stop wondering if Flores is truly a strong candidate for this position or if the reported interest from the Bears is rooted in one friend doing a solid for another. Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles and Brian Flores are both Boston College products. Poles was at BC from 2003-07, while Flores was with the Eagles from 1999-2003. So while the two weren’t long-time teammates, the college connection and the proximity the two had is enough to make it easy to connect the dots.
In an ideal world, Flores would take what he learned from Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin about defense, leadership, and team-building, then couple it with what he has taken in while working with an offensive wizard such as Kevin O’Connell to become a well-rounded head coach in his second spin at the wheel. If Flores could lay out a plan showing how he can do that, then it wouldn’t take much to understand how he could be a long-term fit for this franchise. But if he can’t, then hiring him would put the Bears at risk of going through this process again in a few years.
One Big Question
Who’s gonna coach the offense?
Brian Flores wants to be an NFL head coach again. One way he can prove it is by hiring a competent and progressive offensive coaching staff.
The big question with every defensive-leaning head coach candidate is the same. Answering who will coach your offense is the top priority, Could Brian Flores bring Vikings QBs Coach Josh McCown with him to Chicago? The former Bears quarterback has a coaching stock whose arrow is pointing up. So much so that McCown might not be around for long if he were to immediately excel as an offensive coordinator who leads Caleb Williams to new heights as Bears QB.
Beyond that, Flores has some red flags that he needs to address before I’d feel comfortable turning over the franchise to him moving forward. I am willing to hear out his case because I feel as if it is important to go into this coaching search with an open mind. But the elevator pitch would have to be top-notch. Even then, I struggle to get myself to a point where I’d 100 percent be on board.
