New Potential Destination Emerges for Brian Flores
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is one of the top head coaching candidates after his third season in charge of Minnesota’s defense. We’re still in the early stages of the coaching carousel, but early league speculation has connected him to a potential opening in Las Vegas, where Tom Brady is now part of the ownership group.
Leaguewide, teams in similar situations often explore a wide range of coaching candidates early in the process, many of which never materialize.
Two coaching jobs had already opened prior to the final week, as the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans fired their respective skippers weeks ago. On Sunday, shortly after the season finale, the Atlanta Falcons also said goodbye to Raheem Morris.
According to national reporter Tom Pelissero, the job in Las Vegas is expected to emerge as well. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk linked Flores to that pending opening on Sunday.
“Last January, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Raiders are ‘Tom’s show now.’ One year later, if The Tom Brady Show were playing somewhere on the strip, the curtain would fall for good. But owners can’t be fired. And Brady is an owner of the Raiders. Primary owner Mark Davis specifically sold a slice of the team to Brady at a below-market rate to stabilize the team. After Brady’s first full season on the job, the Raiders are less stable than dry dynamite in the trunk of a three-wheeled Toyota.”
The Raiders just finished a horrendous three-win season, frequently looking like a team that doesn’t belong in the NFL. They do, however, have the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, which could land them their new quarterback or a haul in a trade.
Flores’ history with the Patriots — he spent time there from 2004 to 2018 in various roles, from scout to defensive coordinator — could help him. Of course, Raiders part-owner Tom Brady was there for all those years.
Florio added, “Brady has managed, somehow, to avoid widespread scrutiny for the current condition of the team. That won’t last. The time is now for him to make a move. And with an infusion of Patriot DNA dramatically altering the situation in New England, where two years of 4-13 have become 13-3 and the first division title since Brady’s last year in the building, Brady may be thinking about bringing a little Beantown to Sin City.”
The Patriots’ way has often been tried elsewhere, but only Mike Vrabel has succeeded with it, aside from Bill Belichick. From a speculative standpoint, Florio suggested the obvious choice would be offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, but he has already had a stint with the Raiders, and it didn’t work. Instead, Flores has been mentioned as a possible alternative.
“There’s a rumor currently making the rounds that, once Brady rolls up his sleeves (while also wearing one glove and an expensive-ass watch), he’ll make the case for bringing in Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores,” Florio noted.
Flores has three years of experience as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. That chapter ultimately failed, but he may have learned a thing or two from his time there. Since then, he has also worked with Mike Tomlin and Kevin O’Connell, who are generally viewed as two great culture-setters.
“From a coaching standpoint, Flores fits with the widespread trend of finding a coach who is the exact opposite of the last guy,” Florio analyzed. “Carroll is a rah-rah, player-friendly coach. Flores is no-nonsense and Belichickian.”
According to Florio, Brian Daboll could be his offensive coordinator. He was also on New England’s staff for a while. Daboll was fired by the Giants halfway through the season, but things didn’t particularly improve after his exit.
The pairing makes sense, but for now, it can’t be considered more than a rumor.