At the end of a regular season where the Vikings' defense allowed the fifth-fewest points in the NFL, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has his first head coaching interview request since he came to Minnesota.

The Jets requested permission to interview Flores and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown for their vacant head coaching position, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed on Monday. The Jets also submitted a request to interview Ryan Grigson, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel, for its general manager opening.

It's the first interview for Flores since he pulled his name out of the Cardinals' head coaching search in 2023 to take the Vikings job. McCown, in his first years as the Vikings' QB coach, had done virtual interviews for the Texans' head coach job in 2021 and 2022.

The Bears are also reportedly interested in talking to Flores.

Flores' candidacy for head coaching jobs could be particularly interesting given his path the past three years. After the Dolphins fired him following the 2021 season, he sued the team, alleging owner Stephen Ross pushed him to tank by offering him $100,000 for every game he lost and claiming Ross pressured him to violate NFL tampering rules by recruiting a prominent quarterback on another team (later reported to be Tom Brady). He also sued the league and the Broncos, Giants and Texans, saying the league's coaching search process discriminated against minority candidates. A judge ruled Flores' claims against the Dolphins must be decided through arbitration, but permitted his suit against the league and the three other teams to proceed to open court. The NFL stripped the Dolphins of two draft picks (including their 2023 first-rounder) and suspended Ross after Flores' lawsuit against the team prompted a league investigation.

GM candidates who are currently working for playoff teams are free to interview for other jobs immediately. Coaches on teams playing in the wild-card round can do virtual interviews three days after their current team's first playoff games, and must complete those interviews before the end of the divisional playoffs. Since the Vikings play the Rams next Monday night, it means Flores and McCown wouldn't be free to talk to the Jets until Jan. 16, and would have a tight window to do so if the Vikings win their wild-card game.

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