Following a devastating 31-27 wild-card round loss to the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers enter the offseason wondering what could have been after their high hopes earlier in the season. To top it off, the Packers lost their last five games, including two to their NFC North rivals, the Bears.
Speaking of rivals, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been among the most annoying nemesis for Green Bay since he took over in 2023. However, Jordan Schultz, NFL insider and host of The Schultz Report, says it would not be a surprise if Flores gets a real look by the Pittsburgh Steelers, for whom he was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 2022. A high-level executive told Schultz, "That makes too much sense," which could be the case after Mike Tomlin surprisingly decided to step down as Pittsburgh's head coach on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
If that does happen to be the case, and Flores leaves Minnesota for Pittsburgh, or chooses to go somewhere else, the Packers will certainly not be disappointed whatsoever, considering the struggles they have had against his defenses.
Potential Brian Flores Exit Is Music to Green Bay's Ears
The Packers have faced Flores' Vikings defense six times and haven't fared well, losing four of those matchups. In three of those losses, Green Bay's passing attack was held to under 200 yards, while quarterback Jordan Love was picked off three times in a 2024 meeting. Even when the Packers won the first meeting this season, it was not easy, with Love only passing for 139 yards. Green Bay rested its starters in Week 18, but still only managed 121 total yards and gave up four sacks.
While the Vikings finished last in the NFC North this season due to their inconsistent QB play, Flores' defense still ranked seventh in the league in points allowed (19.6 PPG), so his unit was still just as solid despite the offensive woes. Furthermore, the Bears returned to the top of the division with QB Caleb Williams continuing to make late-game comebacks, while the Detroit Lions suffered a setback after back-to-back playoff appearances.
Green Bay was in position to win each of the three meetings with the Bears if it had not been for some poor execution down the stretch, which would have pulled off the season sweep of the Lions. However, the Vikings' defense has been the Achilles heel for the Packers, meaning a potential exit from Flores would be welcomed in Green Bay.
It seems like the Vikings could be open to pursuing former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, assuming he decides to play another season following Monday night's blowout loss to the Houston Texans. Although that would certainly create a shakeup within the division, it sounds like the odds right now are moving in favor of Flores departing to Pittsburgh when everything shakes out.
If that turns out to be the case, the Packers will have no issue at all seeing him go after having to face his stout defenses for the last three seasons.