The Dallas Cowboys' search for a defensive coordinator is about to hit a pressure cooker. They've fired Matt Eberflus and have likely spent the last few days gathering intel on potential replacements. Now, all eyes are on the interview process, and everyone is hoping that Brian Flores gets a call.
Unfortunately, hiring Flores is going to be extremely complicated. Not only is he the most coveted defensive coordinator on the market, but he is also garnering head coach interest.
The Cowboys will have to hope he doesn't land a head coach job, but that won't matter if he doesn't leave Minnesota. Well, the odds of that got a significant boost following a report that revealed underlying tension between Flores and the Vikings franchise.
According to longtime Minnesota sports reporter Mike Krawczynski, there are "murmurings of discontent" happening behind closed doors, as he revealed to KFAN-FM 100.3's Dan Berreiro.
"The second part... there does seem to be some sort of murmurings of discontent, of a butting of heads behind the scenes with other people in the organization, that there is some intrigue about, even if he didn't get the Raiders job or another head coaching job, that there still is a real possibility that Flores could leave for another defensive coordinator job."
Cowboys' Brian Flores dream just got a significant boost thanks to Vikings drama
While Krawczynski wasn't able to pinpoint the particulars of the tension, he has it on good authority that the relationship isn't sunshine and rainbows.
"I can't tell you the exact nature of the conflict, or of the drama behind the scenes, but there is something going on that does lead me to believe that it is not a foregone conclusion that he would stay here to be a coordinator, that he could leave to go elsewhere, which I think would be a disaster for the Vikings, and it would be a terrible look," Krawczynski added.
That is music to the Cowboys' ears.
Regardless of the nature of the friction, the biggest takeaway is that Krawczynski believes Flores would be open to taking another DC job if he fails to land a head coaching job.
READ MORE: Brian Flores has Cowboys fans' full attention after cryptic Vikings remarks
The Ravens have requested to interview Brian Flores for their head coaching vacancy following John Harbaugh’s dismissal, and Tom Brady is reportedly pushing to bring Flores to Las Vegas. Flores spent 15 years in the Patriots organization while Brady was the team’s starting quarterback, so there is a long-standing familiarity there.
This would be a different conversation if Brian Flores were under contract, but he isn’t. He just coached his final game in the last year of his deal, and the reported tension makes it even more likely that he moves on despite Minnesota’s efforts to keep him in the North Star State.
Multiple insiders have already name-dropped Flores as someone to watch in the Cowboys' DC search. He turned the Vikings into one of the best defenses in the NFL, and nobody would mistake Minnesota's personnel with that of the '85 Bears.
The Cowboys can’t afford to sit back and wait for Brian Flores to shake free. At the same time, they should be quietly rooting for tension to keep bubbling in Minnesota while they work through their list of Matt Eberflus replacements.