With coaching dominoes still mostly upright, one coach closely linked with the New York Jets is Brian Flores.
The current Vikings defensive coordinator has the coveted previous head coaching experience and can reset the culture in New York. Jets reporters Rich Cimini of ESPN and Connor Hughes of SNY have both linked Flores to the team.
There is one glaring red flag on Flores’ resume, though: his prior relationship with Tua Tagovailoa during his first stint in Miami.
In an August 2024 interview, Tua told the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, “If you woke up every morning, and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right, and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this. You are accurate, you are the best whatever, you are this, you are that.’ How would that make you feel, listening to one or the other?”
The first was clearly a reference to Flores, who coached Tagovailoa during his first two seasons in the NFL. Tua also called Flores “a terrible person.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick, for whom Flores benched Tua several times, made some equally alarming comments about Flores.
Fitzpatrick noted that during Flores’ first season, pre-Tua, he was relatable and likable — still tough-nosed but able to get the most out of his players. However, Fitzpatrick said, Flores became “unrecognizable” in Year 2.
“But, when people say, ‘Give me somebody from Miami that coached under you as a reference, so we can talk to them,’ I think he burned a lot of bridges there. I think he alienated himself from the entire staff,” Fitzpatrick said.
“Instead of what [Whitworth] were just talking about, having the humility to ask questions, to collaborate, I think by the end of his time there, he became a dictator. He ruined a lot of relationships that he built up through the NFL. And his ego grew so big that there wasn’t room for anyone else.”
Fitzpatrick added that although the non-football staff loved Flores, in the coaching rooms, the coach was on an ego trip. “I heard some horror stories after I left.”
Still, Fitzpatrick said that Flores has clearly grown during his time in Minnesota.
“He’s such a relatable guy when he just is himself. And I think that’s the most important thing for him,” Fitzpatrick stated. “And, hopefully, the thing he’s learned the most is you’re enough; you don’t have to be anyone else. You don’t have to imitate Bill Belichick — be you. Guys respect, appreciate you and want to learn from you.”
Given the concerns from two of Flores’ former players, how concerned should the Jets be to bring him in the building?
As Fitzpatrick said, Flores’ reputation has shifted during his time in Minnesota. His players love him. Pro Bowl defensive end Jonathan Greenard called Flores a “players’ coach” because of “the open dialogue that we have,” per The Athletic’s Michael Silver. Many other Vikings players, including defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (who played under Flores in New England and Miami, respectively), and safety Josh Metellus vouched for Flores.
Flores added that hearing different messaging when working under Mike Tomlin and Kevin O’Connell as opposed to Bill Belichick has taught him a lot. He learned that the delivery of a message can decide whether or not it resonates with the players.
“For instance, Bill will say, ‘You can’t win until you keep from losing.’ Which is a little bit of a riddle, and it takes a little while for some guys to kind of put all that together,” Flores remarked. “But Mike T[omlin] will say, ‘In order to kick a**, don’t kick your own a**.’ It’s the same thing. That one hits a little bit differently.”
Parsing out the truth in these narratives is difficult. It does sound like Flores showed dictatorial tendencies in Miami, not unlike his mentor’s. Nevertheless, he still led Miami to a 24-25 record in three seasons with less-than-stellar rosters, including two winning years (10-6 in 2020 and 9-8 in 2021).
Flores’ dismissal from Miami was a shock, but owner Stephen Ross cited a lack of collaboration as the primary reason. That jibes with Tua’s and Fitzpatrick’s comments.
However, growth and change are the name of the game in football and life in general. Flores and his players provided concrete examples of how different he is now from how he was during his first head coaching stint in Miami.
There is always the risk that Flores will revert to his old ways when given the ultimate authority rather than coaching under two great leaders. But it’s a risk that may be worth taking for the Jets.
The main reason Flores is attractive is his ability to hold his players accountable. He stated that he does this differently than in the past, asking players whether his criticism is reasonable. It has worked in getting them on board. Still, he said, he is “always going to be demanding. I don’t think you can win in this league if it’s not the case.”
Given the complete lack of accountability in the Jets’ locker room over the past number of seasons, Flores is exactly the kind of personality the franchise may need. On the other hand, having such a strong personality could cause a power struggle with Woody Johnson, which is the last thing the Jets need.
While concerns about Flores’ personality are hard to evaluate, there is a far more pressing issue that has not received nearly as much attention: his inability to pull together an effective offensive coaching staff.
The Dolphins had three different offensive coordinator groups during Flores’ three-year tenure, including a pairing (Eric Studesville and George Godsey) in his final season. They finished 28th, 20th, and 23rd in offensive DVOA over those three years.
In particular, Tagovailoa’s success under Mike McDaniel after his failures with Flores’ staff begs the question of whether Flores can find the right people to help develop a quarterback.
Indicators are that Flores would bring in current Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown to be his offensive coordinator. McCown deserves credit for his work with Sam Darnold. However, it is worth noting that McCown was the Panthers’ quarterbacks coach in 2023 when Bryce Young had a putrid rookie season. Young later showed signs of promise starting midway through 2024.
There are definitely risks associated with Flores. However, that is likely the case with virtually any available head coach, save the occasional long-time success like Sean Payton or Jim Harbaugh (and even Harbaugh had some questions).
As risks go, Flores seems like one of the best ones to take. He had success with mediocre at best rosters in Miami, and he took a Vikings defense that ranked 24th in defensive DVOA in 2022 and helped them improve to 11th in 2023 and second in 2024. He’s evolved personally and is strong in the accountability department.
If the Jets are looking for someone with prior head coaching experience, they likely can’t get any better than Flores.
