The Minnesota Vikings (6-2) head to Lambeau Field on Sunday with Kirk Cousins tracking to start. They need him to be good too, because head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense has scored a total of 21 points in back-to-back losses to Detroit and Buffalo. But what happens if it doesn’t work?

Will Brian Flores get another head coaching shot?

Well, NFL insider Tony Pauline reached out to four people he has known for a long time, who combine for more than 125 years of NFL front office experience. He asked those four sources whether Flores will be with the Vikings in 2027 or land a head coaching job.

Three of them told him straight-up “no.” Another called Flores a great defensive coordinator who isn’t head coaching material and compared him to Robert Saleh. The fourth called it a tough question and wouldn’t give Pauline a yes or no.

“Three of the four told me outright, no, they do not think that Brian Flores will get a head coaching job. One of them said to me, Flores has burned too many bridges. Another one said, Brian Flores is the perfect example of a great defensive coordinator who just isn’t head coaching material, a la Robert Saleh. I’m still trying to wonder why after his disastrous stint with the Jets, Saleh was able to get a head coaching job so soon, and it’s not worked out in Tennessee. The fourth person said, that’s a tough question, and didn’t give me a yes or no answer.”

Flores was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach from 2019 to 2021 and spent 2022 with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Vikings on Feb. 6, 2023. Last January, he was a candidate for the Ravens and Steelers head coaching jobs. He signed a contract extension with Minnesota on Jan. 21, 2026, while he was still a candidate for both jobs, and the team didn’t announce the terms.

This is Flores’ fourth season running Minnesota’s defense. The Vikings are allowing 14.5 points per game, the fewest in the NFL, and rank third at 305.8 yards allowed per game. Their 29 sacks are tied with Houston for the league lead.

Two of Pauline’s sources see no way Vikings fire Kevin O’Connell

Pauline still wasn’t satisfied with what he was getting from his sources so he pushed a hypothetical: If the offense craters and Minnesota fires Kevin O’Connell, would the Vikings elevate Flores from within?

The consensus: Minnesota Vikings ownership is unlikely to even consider firing KOC this offseason. Two of Pauline’s went as far as to say “there’s no way” KOC is removed.

“If the Vikings offense craters this season and really can’t help the team at all, and Minnesota chooses to fire Kevin O’Connell, would they elevate Brian Flores from within? Two of the people said that there’s no way the Vikings are going to fire Kevin O’Connell. Ownership likes him and he’s a good coach.”

“But I asked, well, let’s just assume that hypothetical is correct. They fire Kevin O’Connell. Would they elevate Brian Flores from within? One person told me outright no and gave me reasons why he thought they wouldn’t do it. Another person was like, they may, but I really don’t know.”

Kevin O’Connell was named the 10th head coach in Minnesota Vikings history on Feb. 16, 2022. He is 49-27 in the regular season and 0-2 in the playoffs and was the 2024 AP Coach of the Year after a 14-3 season.

The Vikings gave him a multiyear contract extension in January 2025, without announcing terms. At the time, owner Mark Wilf said KOC “is exactly who we believed him to be when we named him as our head coach.”

Not everyone has been that kind. On Oct. 28, with the Vikings at 6-0, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said O’Connell is “lucky he’s got a damn job.”

Confirmed: New MN Vikings leadership does not like Caleb Banks’ future

The first half of Pauline’s video was about Banks. In late August, Pauline reported that the Vikings’ new front office was questioning the pick. His original source now tells him the feeling has gone from questioning the selection to “they just don’t like him at all.”

Monday’s 23-6 loss to the Bills also came with a surprise before kickoff. Caleb Banks, the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, was a healthy scratch. Even before Pauline’s video Friday morning, there have been recent rumblings that Teasley & Co are not fans of Banks.

Pauline’s source said not to expect anything to happen with Banks this season. If anything does, it will be in the offseason, and Flores, who Pauline said has “a lot of say and a lot of pull,” will be one of the determining factors.