As New York Jets Start Coaching Search, Steelers Boss Endorses Vikings Coach

The New York Jets will have a wide range of options to choose from, but one Super Bowl-winning coach is endorsing this assistant for any job.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches from the sidelines against the New York Jets in the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Jets are embarking on a head-coaching search for the first time since 2021, when they hired Robert Saleh.

Owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh in October, and then fired general manager Joe Douglas last week.

That means New York is looking for a coach and a general manager at the same time. The Jets announced earlier this week that they were partnering with The 33rd Team to facilitate that search.

The belief is that the Jets will hire a GM first and then collaborate with Johnson on the selection of a head coach. So, logically, the hiring of a general manager could have quite a bit to do with which head coach is hired.

But, recently, Sports Illustrated published an article outlining the 27 top head coaching candidates this cycle. One has experience against the New York Jets as a head coach — Brian Flores, who at one time was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Even though controversy followed him after his firing, one Super Bowl-winning coach —  Pittsburgh boss Mike Tomlin — fully endorsed Flores for any head-coaching opening this cycle.

Flores is the defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. But, in 2022, he worked as a defensive assistant for Tomlin. That gave the long-time Steelers coach the chance to work side-by-side with Flores for the first time. He learned more about Flores as a coach and as a person.

Tomlin said Flores's humility allowed him to accept any role on the staff and has led to the success the Vikings are having defensively.

He also compared Flores to one of the top candidates of last year's coaching cycle, Raheem Morris, who was eventually hired to take over the Atlanta Falcons.

“I feel the same way about him as I felt about Raheem Morris when I talked to people regarding his candidacy,” Tomlin said to SI. “I thought Raheem was the best coaching candidate in the world without a head coaching job, and I feel the same way about Flo in this cycle.”

Flores was a long-time Bill Belichick assistant in New England. He joined the front office as a scouting assistant in 2004 and eventually worked his way up to linebackers coach by the time his tenure ended in 2018.

He took over the Dolphins in 2019 and lasted three seasons in Miami, where he went 24-25 and was fired after the 2021 season. Post-firing, he filed a class action suit against the NFL, the Dolphins, the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos alleging racial discrimination in his hiring process for head-coaching jobs that cycle. Part of the suit was moved to arbitration in 2023.

The Jets’ loss to the Vikings in Week 5 preceded Saleh’s firing. The Vikings remain one of the best defenses in the NFL, especially against the run.

Whether Flores ends up a serious candidate for the Jets is up in the air. But, if Tomlin's endorsement is any indication, he's a candidate that should be considered.