MOBILE, Alabama — Brian Flores is in demand from NFL teams seeking a new head coach. The former Miami Dolphins coach interviewed with New Orleans Saints team officials Monday night (January 31) at the Senior Bowl, according to league sources.
Saints interview Brian Flores at Senior Bowl
The Saints need a new head coach after Sean Payton retired. The Saints’ head coach candidates include Dennis Allen, Byron Leftwich, Aaron Glenn, Doug Pederson, and Darren Rizzi.
Now, add Flores to the list. Flores interviewed earlier Monday in Houston for the Texans’ head coaching vacancy with the leadership team of the AFC South franchise, including general manager Nick Caserio.
Flores also previously interviewed with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. Those jobs went to Matt Eberflus and Brian Daboll, respectively.
Brian Flores was a surprise firing in Miami
Flores’ shared background with the New England Patriots with Caserio and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby are regarded as pluses for a potential match here as well as his successful track record.
Flores, 40, was a surprise firing after finishing 9-8 this season amidst reports of disagreements with general manager Chris Grier over personnel decisions, including drafting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He finished 24-25 in three seasons as a head coach, including a 10-6 record two seasons ago and 5-11 in his first year as the lead man.
The Dolphins went 9-8 after starting the year 1-7 and then going 8-1 in the second half of the season. The Dolphins were the first team in NFL history to lose seven consecutive games and win seven consecutive games in the same season.
“I’ve been looking at this over three years now and watching the organization grow,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said when Flores was dismissed. “And I think an organization can only function if it’s collaborative, and it works well together. And I don’t think that we were really working well as an organization that it would take to really win consistently at the NFL level.”
Career before joining the Miami Dolphins
Flores was the Patriots’ defensive signal-caller during a Super Bowl LIII victory over the Los Angeles Rams. He worked for the Patriots as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2018.
A Brooklyn, N.Y. native and a former Boston College linebacker, Flores has an extensive background and a strong relationship with Caserio from their time together in New England. Flores joined the Patriots in 2004 as a 23-year-old scouting assistant before becoming a pro scout. He was promoted to the coaching staff in 2008 as a special-teams coaching assistant and then coached safeties and linebackers. He had the responsibilities but not the title of defensive coordinator.
Flores went 4-2 against his former boss and mentor, Bill Belichick. That marks the most success against the Patriots’ HC of any coach who faced him over the past three years.
“I am grateful most of all for the players, coaches, and support staff who gave everything they had on a daily basis to help us win games,” Flores said in a statement when he was fired by the Dolphins. “They deserve the credit for any success on the field, and it was the honor of a lifetime for me to go to work with them every day. I have always believed that leadership is really about service, and I did my best to serve the players, the staff, and the organization every day. I believe in this team and will always value the relationships my family and I made here.”