The interesting aspect of the situation is whether Minnesota could lose him to another DC job, given that he isn’t under contract. O’Connell insisted that he doesn’t see that happening.
“Based upon my dialogue with him and, obviously, the enthusiasm and the want-to for us to get something done, I don’t [anticipate that],” O’Connell said, acknowledging he understood why the question was asked with the Vikings’ season ending this Sunday.
“I know he enjoys being here. I know he and I, just from our recent dialogue, that he feels very similar about me that I do with him,” O’Connell added. “Hopefully I can come to this podium and say, ‘He’s going to be here for as long as we can keep him here before another team makes him their head coach.'”
Until that press conference happens with a new contract inked, there will be rumors about another team potentially poaching him from Minnesota — the chatter about Jerry Jones’ Cowboys attempting to replace DC Matt Eberflus with Flores has already begun.
Eventually, money talks. If Flores doesn’t get a head coaching job, he has the leverage to become the top-paid DC in the NFL, in Minnesota or elsewhere.