Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is thought to be a “serious contender” to succeed Mike Tomlin as the Steelers’ head coach, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
Flores, 44, was one of the first coaches to receive interest from the Steelers after Tomlin’s stunning departure. He is set to visit Pittsburgh this week for an in-person interview. That meeting will be a reconnection rather than an introduction, as Flores previously served as the Steelers’ senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 2022.
His familiarity with the franchise could be a strong factor in his candidacy. Flores arrived in Pittsburgh in February 2022 shortly after he was fired by the Dolphins. In the interim, he launched a lawsuit against the NFL and three specific teams – the Dolphins, Giants, and Broncos – which made him a persona non grata across the league. He reached out to Tomlin for advice on getting another coaching job, and Tomlin offered him a job with the approval of owner Art Rooney II.
Flores was able to turn that lifeline into the Vikings defensive coordinator job in 2023, again with Tomlin’s support. Flores found plenty of success in Minnesota, which, along with public endorsements from Tomlin and Kevin O’Connell, has raised his standing around the league considerably.
But with the lawsuit still winding its way through the courts – including a stop at the Supreme Court – owners may be hesitant to sign off on hiring Flores for their head coaching gig. He has received plenty of interest from teams looking for defensive coordinators, but only one other interview for a head coaching vacancy (from the Ravens). But the Steelers were the first team willing to take a chance on Flores after he left Miami, so they may be willing to bring him aboard once again.
In terms of both football and culture, Flores feels like an excellent match for the Steelers. His aggressive, blitz-heavy style will fit Pittsburgh’s roster well, and his familiarity with Tomlin will help him uphold the culture established by the longtime head coach.
Yeah this feels like a perfect fit.
The one guy the Tomlin bashers would want less than Tomlin.
Please.
Also, a good hire on the merits. His Dolphins overachieved.
Please no.. Its 2026 hire a offensive mind Coach times have Changed
The final 4 is 2 defense and 2 offense minded coaches. They likely teams to advance Aretha defensive.
Dial 911.
Guess that’s better than urethra.
Damn auto correct haha
How can they be down to a final four when two of the guys they want to interview are with the Rams and can’t be approached? Jeez, I hope it’s not this guy
Absolute perfect fit
Good fit, but they need a young cheap QB bad. Defense is old, expensive, and not championship caliber
Flores should get another chance. His people skills must have gotten better, he was 10-6 got fired. A team is about to give Matt Nagy another chance for FS. Daboll may get a chance after just being fired.
I agree, but on the other hand, Nagy actually got farther than Flores ever did. 34-31 and two playoff appearances versus 24-25 and none. Just based on that and nothing else, he was better as a first time head coach, and should deserve some acknowledgment in comparison.
Personally, I actually am higher on Flores. Play-callers should always get considered better than non play-callers as coordinators. I think Flores’ exemplary work in Minnesota is worthy of another shot. The other surrounding circumstances aside, any candidate with a blank name and history would have a ton of interest after that showing. That doesn’t mean that it’s not understandable why teams would be wary-they should have concerns-but if you want results based on recent history, that should matter most. Flores has definitely earned another shot based on his recent results, even if teams are right to have concerns based solely on his football related concerns in Miami.
I would be ok with this if I knew who is OC was going to be. Hope he has a young offensive mind for this team.
Im still pushing for Shula. I’ve read reports that flores has a history of not getting along with some of his players. Even went as telling his Miami qb tua that he stunk. Risky hire.
He wasn’t wrong on Tua though lol
Was he? In terms of pure statistics, Tua immediately became a top ten or top five quarterback in the league literally immediately after Flores left.
Whether or not Tua was “the guy” or not for Miami in the long run, you can’t have your head coach deliberately sabotage his relationship with your first round quarterback in such a childish way. Flores has obvious strengths, and has earned another shot, but your coach is supposed to maximize the talent of his players, not dismiss them. Tua disappointed this year, but he definitely didn’t “suck” for the last few years on the whole. Even if you think that he did, the coach’s priority is to make him better, not worse.
It wasn’t just that he didn’t like Tua, he wanted Deshawn Watson, and when the Dolphins GM, Chris Grier, decided against giving up the farm, plus screwing their cap for a good period of time, Flores went to the owner(Stephen Ross) and demanded total control so he could make his Watson wish come true, amongst other things. Flores told Ross to choose between him or Grier, and when Ross made his choice, Flores had a sissy fit and turned around and sued him for discrimination, even though the employee Flores wanted out, Grier, was also an African American. Anyone who thinks Miami is in a bad position now, imagine them with Watson, his salary cap disaster, minus the high draft choices for all those year. I think Ross made the better choice.
Wow. Great points.
Better hire him or he’ll sue.
Yep. The only place in the world where someone suing you for not offering opportunity gets another opportunity. 🤣. He sued the last teams that even interviewed him for a HC job. Oh, and the best irony of it all, is that, he is suing the league for discriminatory practices sighting the Ronney Rule, of all things, as an example. You just can’t make this stuff up. It wouldn’t be believable if it were on a soap opera.
Steelers love hiring DCs from Minnesota. 19 years of Flores?
What has Flores accomplished that would merit such serious consideration?
If you’re hiring for future expectations that aren’t realized yet, what indications are there that would show he has this ability?
He hasn’t accomplished much of anything as a HC or DC in all honesty. He certainly isn’t “bad” but he isn’t especially good either.
It’s like it’s “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.
This is the most important coaching search in steelers history. They can’t afford to screw up. Now there was talk on the 93.7 the fan that Mike McCarthy is now at the front. Hiring him or flores would be a disaster. One is too old the other is suing the league and has a reputation of not getting along with the players. This is why they need to hire Shula. A guy who can, with the right OC, draft a qb and bring him along to maturity. I font trust artie to hire the right guy. After all this guy wants to bring back Rodgers.