Brian Flores returning for a fourth season figures to be a great thing for the Vikings defense.

Minnesota signed Flores to a contract extension on Jan. 21, a move that maintains consistency at defensive coordinator under Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.

NFL pundits are high on the move.

Vikings Entertainment Network's Tatum Everett is in San Francisco for Super Bowl LX Week and has been catching some 1-on-1 interviews on Radio Row. Among topics discussed has been Flores and his impact in Minnesota.

"He's just a very good defensive coach," NFL Media's Judy Battista told Everett. "He's a really, really good defensive coach. He's obviously very aggressive. Confuses the heck out of quarterbacks. I mean, you can just see veteran quarterbacks, young quarterbacks — you can see them all, you know, their head is spinning when they play [against him]. So he's just really good, and he's got some really good players. I mean, they were very luck to retain him, no question."

Former NFL defensive back Devin McCourty, who has commentated for NBC during retirement, overlapped as a player in New England with Flores, who coached safeties from 2012-15 before transitioning to linebackers.

McCourty said Flores "meant a lot to me in my career" and taught him a lot about the game. McCourty highlighted Flores' ability — and willingness — to adapt his coaching style and game plan as needed throughout a season and over the years.

"He's always going to challenge guys and expect them to meet that challenge, and it's going to be hard-nosed, it's going to be tough," McCourty said. "So what I've loved is how he's evolved, and what we ran in New England, how he's added so many things."

McCourty explained to Everett how Flores' approach has evolved since his time with the Patriots (2010-18).

"When we were in New England, we ran a lot of different looks where we put everybody up on the line of scrimmage, which you guys have seen whenever we did that, we were either coming, or we got out to one type of zone," he said. "He now gets out to like three or four different types of zones. He now has it where maybe half the guys go out, but the other half still go."

McCourty echoed Battista's comments about challenging quarterbacks, as well as opposing coaches.

"I texted him [in 2024] when he played against [Kyle] Shanahan and [Sean] McVay, like he was attacking that system … I was like, 'Man, you kind of figured it out,' " McCourty recounted. "And I remember he said to me, 'I spent all offseason trying to figure out how to attack,' and that's Flo'. He's always going to figure out how to make his players successful."

Former quarterback and NBC analyst Chris Simms also goes way back with Flores. The two overlapped in New England in 2012 when Simms served as a coaching assistant, but he noted their relationship dates back even farther, having growing up in Brooklyn (Flores) and New Jersey (Simms).

Having known Flores since college, Simms said he's "happy for the Vikings" that Flo' is sticking around.

"He's a genius on the defensive side of the ball," Simms said. "You don't know what you're going to get. There's so much creativity. He's willing to take chances and do things that you'd go, 'Oh, most coaches wouldn't do that.' And within all that, too, his defenses are sound.

"Knowing him, he's detailed, he's motivated, he's tough, and that's why his defenses play tough. I mean, he's from Brooklyn, New York," Simms added. "I just can't say enough about him. I think he's one of the best coaches in football."

Though Flores didn't land a head coaching job this cycle and will continue to guide Minnesota's defense, NFL Media's Cynthia Frelund noted it's significant that he did interview for previous vacancies that included Pittsburgh.

"It just goes to show, right? They're not just interviewing anyone, right? When those types of organizations are coming after your coach, it just goes to show you he's doing something right," Frelund said. "And it's something like, 'Death, taxes and B-Flo's gonna blitz.' "

All jokes aside, though, Frelund pointed out Flores' established identity helps the team in targeting defensive players in free agency and the draft with a specific play style.

"You have to figure out, 'What's your salary cap? Who are you going to spend money on? Who are you going to — are you going to trade in any positions up or down to get the player you want?' " Frelund asked. "Having everything solidified from a strategy standpoint early really gives you an advantage going into evaluation season."

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