Following the ousting of head coach Doug Pederson, the Jacksonville Jaguars put in six interview requests for candidates to fill their coaching vacancy. One day later, they added another name to the list when they placed a request for Minnesota Vikings Brian Flores, who's rebuilt his stock after flaming out with the Miami Dolphins. But as successful as he's been with the Vikes, the Jags must practice caution.
Jacksonville's interest in Flores is understandable. After getting the boot in 2021, he was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as their linebackers coach. He then took a job as the Minnesota defensive coordinator in 2023. Since then, the Vikings have fielded one of the best defenses in the league, and one big reason has been Flores' imprint.
Having said that, Flores didn't leave Miami on great terms and that's come back to haunt him recently. Heading into the 2024 season, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went off on his former head coach, pointing out that he used to demean him and tell him that he wasn't a good player. That's not something that the Jaguars would be thrilled about knowing that one of the biggest tasks their next coach will have is to get the most out of Trevor Lawrence.
Here's some of what Tua had to say about Flores during a sitdown on The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz, via John Breech CBS Sports.
""To put it in the simplest terms, 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. And then you have somebody else come in and tell you, 'Dude, you are the best fit for this. You're accurate. You're the best whatever, you're this, you're that.' How would it make you feel listening to one or the other?""
Flores eventually caught wind of the remarks. He didn't deny them but noted that "I think part of coaching is correcting."
Ok, Tua is one player, but he was far from the only one who didn't mince words when discussing Flores. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played for nine different franchises in a span of 17 years, also asked teams to tempered expectations for his former head coach, pointing out that his stint got off to an encouraging start but eventually burnt many bridges on his way out.
"I think the interesting thing with Brian Flores, when I think about him and being able to play under him for a few years, is which version of Brian Flores are we getting," Fitzpatrick told former NFL players Andrew Whitworth on the Fitz and Whit podcast. "And in Year 1 with Miami, take you back to that year. Miami got rid of every good player they had. That was then jokingly called the Tank for Tua year. But I'll tell you, halfway through that year, we didn't want a game yet, there was a shift in the way that he was approaching his job.
Fitzpatrick continued, "He was likable, he was relatable. He demanded a lot out of the players, but he was also able to get the best version of his players, and I really appreciated him for that. But as his tenure went on in Miami, he kind of became unrecognizable. A lot of the staff he brought over from New England, that was where, you know, he cut his teeth, and the NFL was there for 15-plus years as an assistant. But I think he's going to have a really hard time if you're interviewing him as a head coach. I think in the interviews he'll be likable, he'll be relatable."
"But when people say, Okay, 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, instead of what you 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 those relationships that he built up through the NFL, and his ego grew so big that there wasn't any room for anyone else. And so that was why he got released at the end of his tenure in Miami."
For the sake of transparency, Fitzpatrick said on Twitter that he thinks Flores "has grown and can look back on his tenure in Miami knowing he wasn't perfect and has learned a lot."
Would love for anyone interested to listen to the whole conversation that Whit and I had
— Ryan Fitzpatrick (@FitzMagic_14) January 8, 2025
I really like Brian Flores and consider him a friend….the end in Miami wasn’t pretty but I think he has grown and can look back on his tenure in Miami knowing he wasn’t perfect and has…
If you have time to listen to the full exchange on Flores, it's below. It starts at the 26:26 mark.
Why the Jaguars are interviewing Brian Flores despite his checkered stint with the Dolphins
People grow. Not all of them, but some of them do and deserve a second chance. The Jaguars deserve credit for giving one to Brian Flores, who may have legitimately become better the past few years. That's feasible when you take into account that he had the opportunity to learn from Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota. Both are excellent coaches and leaders of men.
Moreover, Flores owned up to the fact that he messed up his relationship with Tua Tagovailoa. It would have been great if he had recognized that he didn't treat specifically him well. Then again, he acknowledged that he made mistakes with the Miami Dolphins. That must account for something.
On the other hand, there's also a chance that Flores hasn't changed. The only way to find out is for the Jaguars to meet with him and ask him. Ultimately, there may be better candidates on their wish list, but they are leaving no stone unturned, and that's how a coaching search should be.