All signs point to former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores getting a second head coaching opportunity in the 2027 cycle despite some front offices not being very keen on someone with his combative personality.
An unearthed document was made public showing the criticisms the Las Vegas Raiders levied against him in their recent hiring process. The Raiders claimed Flores "threatened violence" against a GM, called him an "unpredictable" personality, and insisted he "lacks people skills," while further characterizing him as a hothead who can't lead. Veteran Cam Heyward was not going to let that slide.
Heyward said that he adored playing for Flores when he was in Pittsburgh, saying that he "worked his tail off and held players accountable" while mentioning his "brilliant" defensive mind. If Heyward says the concerns are overblown, the matter is just about closed.
Cam Heyward defends former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Brian Flores
Flores went 24-25 in three seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, never once making the playoffs. As is often the case when looking at a mediocre head coach's tenure, Flores' time in South Beach was mixed. On one hand, the playoffs never came, and his handling of a Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa-led quarterback room was rough. It can be reasonably argued that he stunted Tua's development.
On the other hand, Flores' first year in Miami saw him coach a team so deprived of talent that there were debates about the ethics of the Dolphins blatantly tanking to this degree. While the NFL has not found this specific allegation against Flores to be true, he claims that owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 per loss to improve the team's draft position.
Despite all of that and a young Tagovailoa under center, Flores had back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. That wasn't enough to save him from being fired, and he served as a senior defensive assistant with Pittsburgh in 2022 before taking over the Vikings' defensive coordinator role the following season.
Former Steelers coach Brian Flores did a great job in Pittsburgh
By blending his forthright style with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and a defensive line led by Heyward and TJ Watt, Flores' 2022 defense ranked 10th in the league in points allowed. That team went 9-8 and made it to the playoffs despite Mitch Trubisky starting five games and a rookie Kenny Pickett starting 12, all while combining for more interceptions than touchdown passes.
Flores' historically aggressive defense is the main reason the Vikings are 5-0 this season, as the league-best unit has carried the team to wins in multiple games where they lacked an offensive touchdown. That seems to be worth taking a chance on if you need a head coach.
Flores is not a perfect coach, especially considering how he handled Miami's offensive infrastructure. However, Heyward completely invalidated all of the concerns Las Vegas (and, perhaps, other teams in the league) had about Flores by declaring the former Steelers coach a solid-gold defensive mastermind.
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