Kevin O'Connell: Brian Flores and I feel we have some unfinished business together

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell changed defensive coordinators after his first season on the job, but he won't have to make another change before his fourth season.

Brian Flores's work with the Minnesota defense was a big reason why the team went 14-3 and it got him interviews for head coaching jobs last month, but he'll be back in Minnesota after failing to land his second head coaching gig. During a Friday appearance on PFT Live, O'Connell said that he's confident Flores will get that second chance in the future while making it clear that the duo is looking forward to another year together with the Vikings.

"I can’t speak more highly about what Brian Flores has brought to Minnesota," O'Connell said. "When we identified him as the guy that we wanted to bring in coming off the 2022 season, he has been fantastic. Scheme, relationship with players, my personal relationship with him, how we build our team. I think Brian Flores should be a head coach in the National Football League. He will be again. . . . But, at the same time, we feel like we’ve got some unfinished business together in Minnesota and we can’t wait to get to work for 2025."

O'Connell said that he's "embarrassed to admit" how many times he's rewatched the losses to the Lions and Rams that ended the Vikings' season and he and Flores will be focused on trying to make sure that the end of their third season together is a lot happier.