Tag: Flores

Reports: Steelers to interview Brian Flores, Mike McCarthy

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Searching for just their fourth head coach since 1969, the Steelers will interview Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores on Tuesday and former Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

Whoever lands the job in Pittsburgh will have massive shoes to fill.

The Steelers are replacing Super Bowl winner Mike Tomlin, who coached from 2007-25. Tomlin followed Super Bowl winner Bill Cowher, who coached from 1992-2006. Cowher followed four-time Super Bowl champion Chuck Noll, who coached from 1969-91.

Flores, 44, was 24-25 as head coach of the Dolphins from 2019-21. Since then, he has been a defensive assistant coach for the Steelers (2022) and the defensive coordinator for the Vikings since 2023.

ESPN reported that Minnesota wants to retain Flores if he does not land a No. 1 job in this coaching cycle.

McCarthy, 62, did not coach in the NFL this season after compiling a 49-35 record — with three 12-win seasons — in Dallas from 2020-24. He went 125-77-2 with Green Bay from 2006-18 and led the Packers to victory against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver reportedly is being brought in for a second interview with the Steelers this week.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Anthony Weaver gets 2nd interviews with Ravens, Steelers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have a candidate in common as they narrow their searches to replace longtime head coaches.

Current Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is being brought in for second interviews with both teams later this week, according to multiple reports on Monday.

Weaver, 45, has attracted attention from several suitors during this coaching cycle and will meet with Baltimore on Tuesday and Pittsburgh on Friday, per the reports.

The Steelers also requested to meet with current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for a second time later this week.

In his second season as defensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 2025, Weaver’s defense allowed 348.8 yards per game (22nd), 24.4 points per game (24th) and forced 20 turnovers (16th).

Weaver was a position coach on that side of the line with the New York Jets (2012), Buffalo Bills (2013), Cleveland Browns (2014-15), Houston Texans (2016-20) and Baltimore Ravens (2021-23), including a stint as Houston’s DC in 2020.

As a player, Weaver was selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2002 draft and played defensive end in Baltimore for four seasons. He registered 15.5 sacks across 103 games for the Ravens and Texans.

Flores, 44, was 24-25 as head coach of the Dolphins from 2019-21. Since then, he has served as a defensive assistant coach for the Steelers (2022) and as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings since 2023.

–Field Level Media

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (hand) ‘progressing,’ Week 18 status TBD

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Minnesota Vikings are undecided on whether quarterback J.J. McCarthy will play the season finale Sunday against the Green Bay Packers as he returns from a hairline fracture in his throwing hand.

McCarthy injured his right hand in Week 16 against the New York Giants and was not ready for the quick turnaround for a Thursday affair. He sat out the Christmas Day game against the Detroit Lions, which Minnesota won 23-10 behind Max Brosmer at quarterback.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters Monday that McCarthy is progressing.

“Swelling in that hand has come down a little bit,” O’Connell said. “And really, it’s just going to be about working through it this week and seeing what his grip strength is like.

“I’d love to get him one more game, for sure.”

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick of the 2024 draft, has been limited to nine career starts due to injuries. After sitting out all of 2024 due to surgery on a torn meniscus, he missed five games early this season with a high ankle sprain and missed Week 12 against the Packers while in concussion protocol.

O’Connell said the Vikings will “get Max ready to go” in the event Brosmer, the undrafted rookie from the University of Minnesota, will need to make his third start of the year. The Vikings also have Brett Rypien and John Wolford as backup options.

The Vikings placed defensive lineman Elijah Williams on injured reserve Monday. The undrafted rookie injured his ankle against the Lions and made nine tackles in seven appearances this season.

Minnesota (8-8) will miss the playoffs, though not because of its defense, which ranks sixth in the league at 292.7 yards allowed per game and 10th in scoring at 20.6 ppg allowed.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, may get attention on the coaching carousel this winter but O’Connell made clear Monday he wants to keep Flores in the building.

“Flo knows I love him. He was the guy three years ago that I identified to bring in here, and the growth and just our relationship and what he’s meant to me personally is so massive,” O’Connell said. “That’s not even taking into account what he’s been able to do defensively for our team. Been such a huge part of helping us daily, minute-to-minute kind of weather the different storms we had to navigate this year.

“I absolutely want Brian Flores to be the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings as long as we can have him,” he added. “I would say this, I do know that he’s demonstrated a lot of things that, having gone through the process of the head coach hiring process before, myself, I imagine he’s going to be a pretty popular guy there as well — and rightly so, he’s earned everything. (But) that doesn’t take away from the route we want to go to make sure he’s our defense coordinator for the foreseeable future.”

–Field Level Media

Jun 10, 2025; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches practices during minicamp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Vikings DC Brian Flores’ discrimination suit vs. NFL cleared for trial

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ civil discrimination claim against the NFL was cleared by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to proceed to trial, bypassing what the panel of judges felt was a flawed arbitration process involving commissioner Roger Goodell.

The former head coach of the Miami Dolphins and co-defendants are suing the league and three teams — the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans — claiming Black coaches face discrimination. Flores’ claims do not list the New England Patriots, where he was the defensive coordinator prior to becoming a first-time head coach in Miami in 2019.

He filed the suit in 2022 after the Giants hired Brian Daboll as head coach, arguing his interview with the organization was scheduled primarily to appease the NFL rule mandating teams interview a minority candidate, known as the Rooney Rule.

Judge Valerie Caproni previously ruled — on March 1, 2023 — that Flores’ case could go to trial, prompting the NFL appeal.

In her written decision more than two years ago, Caproni mandated Flores seek arbitration in his claims against the Dolphins. She also said two other coaches submitting claims — Steve Wilks and Ray Horton — must seek arbitration, while otherwise siding with Flores on the merits of a jury trial.

Caproni described the details of experiences of minority coaches “incredibly troubling.” She cited specific claims in the suit of the NFL’s “long history of systematic discrimination toward Black players, coaches, and managers.”

Goodell said at the Super Bowl in February that the NFL would not cease diversity, equity and inclusion efforts despite a federal demand for a shift from the administration of President Donald Trump.

Entering the 2025 regular season, there are five Black head coaches in the NFL: Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Todd Bowles (Buccaneers), DeMeco Ryans (Texans) and, Raheem Morris (Falcons) and Aaron Glenn (Jets). Two others, Antonio Pierce (Raiders) and Jerod Mayo (Patriots), were fired after one season as head coach. Pierce was promoted from interim head coach in Las Vegas before the 2024 season.

Carponi said in her ruling it was “difficult to understand” how the league had only one Black head coach at the time Flores filed his lawsuit because “70 percent” of players under contract were Black. After being fired by the Dolphins, Flores spent 2022 as a defensive assistant for the Steelers where he worked under the only Black head coach at the time, Tomlin.

The appeals court decision written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes was centered around the judge’s opinion that Flores would not be granted true “neutral arbitration.” The decision states the NFL arbitration rules violate the Federal Arbitration Act because claims are decided by the NFL’s principal executive officer (Goodell), which “offends basic presumptions of our arbitration jurisprudence.”

Flores said at the time he filed the suit that he risked his coaching career. Last offseason, he was interviewed by the Chicago Bears for their head-coaching vacancy. The job ultimately went to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Claims in the suit from Flores about his time in Miami stem from what he said became friction with owner Stephen Ross. Flores said when he refused to recruit a prominent quarterback against NFL tampering rules, he became cast as an “angry Black man” in the eyes of the franchise brass. Flores said he was also offered $100,000 under the table from Ross for every loss during his first season as part of a detailed plan to “tank” to get the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Dolphins fired Flores in January 2022 following consecutive winning seasons. He was 24-25 as Miami’s head coach.

The NFL conducted its own six-month investigation and claimed there was no evidence of the Dolphins intentionally losing games. However, the NFL determined Miami — Ross and vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal were named specifically — was in violation of the anti-tampering policy in attempts to communicate with Tom Brady and then-Saints coach Sean Payton, and failed to uphold the integrity of the game “on multiple occasions” between 2019-22. The league stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 first-round pick and a third-round pick in 2024.

Ross was fined $1.5 million, banned from the league meetings in 2023 and suspended from Aug. 2-Oct. 17, 2022. He was barred from being present at the team facility and representing the team at any team event during that time.

–Field Level Media

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) runs for yards after catch as Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) pursues during the second quarter U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Vikings’ Brian Flores traces roots of rebuilding dominant ‘D’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores told his defense to “do what we’ve been doing and a little bit more” as Minnesota seeks a 3-0 start to the regular season for the first time since 2016.

Unheralded outside linebacker Pat Jones II had two sacks of Brock Purdy in Week 2 and leads the team with 4.0, but his play on early downs and attention he drew on third downs stands out to Flores.

“It’s those other snaps I’m looking at. I like the sacks too, don’t get me wrong,” Flores said of Jones’ strong start.

There was heavy offseason speculation about the demise of Minnesota’s pass rush after Danielle Hunter left in free agency. But the Vikings have 10.0 sacks, four takeaways and allow 11.5 points (third in the NFL) during a perfect start some didn’t see coming.

“We play team defense. I don’t know whose going to make the play. What I like to see is a number of players making plays, it’s not a one-man show,” Flores said. “We’ve just got to keep our head down and keep working.”

Minnesota knows not to overreact in Week 3. The Vikings began last season 0-3, then won six of seven games only to collapse under the weight of injuries — to wide receiver Justin Jefferson and then-quarterback Kirk Cousins — and finished 7-10.

Back in 2016, they started 5-0 only to wrap the year at 8-8.

But as first steps go, the Vikings like where they stand in September — the lone undefeated team in the NFC North.

Flores felt the tide was turning after developing a vision of what his defense could be in free agency. He collaborating with the scouting staff and front office knowing the plan was “a little different.” He felt finding footing early in the season was a critical launch point, and the Vikings executed the vision to perfection with wins over the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

“It’s not a grocery list — there’s other factors, budgets, salary cap. But there’s certainly a vision early on. To watch it kind of come to life has been pretty cool. But it’s still early. We’ve got to continue to build.”

One critical signing that helped significantly was bringing in Eden Prairie, Minn., product Blake Cashman. Raised a Vikings’ fan, Cashman and his brother used to mow lawns for NFL players including running back Adrian Peterson.

A cornerback and linebacker for a high school state champion in the same town the Vikings’ team headquarters is located as a teammate of Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Cashman was lightly recruited to the University of Minnesota.

Cashman developed with the Houston Texans after being drafted in the sixth round by the New York Jets. Flores pushed for his signing after recalling a conversation with Cashman’s linebackers coach at Minnesota, Mike Sherels.

Sherels’ perspective: praise and projection of his potential impact was off the charts.

Flores crafted a vision for Cashman, and the Vikings landed him in March with a $22.5 million, three-year deal. Thus far, Cashman is exceeding expectations, especially in terms of communication and getting people in the right place, Flores said.

“He’s big on ‘where’s my help and how can I help someone else?’ It’s a big part of team defense,” Flores said. “I’m excited to have him. Excited to keep working with him.”

Hunter landed with the Texans (2-0) and heads to Minneapolis as a key figure in Houston’s pass rush. He has 1.5 of the Texans’ 9.0 sacks in 2023.

–Field Level Media

(File photo) Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) in a game at the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings DC Brian Flores: Tua Tagovailoa criticism ‘hit me’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores felt the emotional toll of former pupil Tua Tagovailoa’s criticism but vowed to use the harsh assessment to grow as a coach.

Flores was joined by current Minnesota players on Tuesday and responded to the Dolphins’ quarterback telling “The Dan LeBatard Show” that during Flores’ time in Miami, he was a “terrible person telling you things that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t be hearing.”

“Look, I’m human,” Flores said. “So that hit me in a way that wasn’t … positive for me. But at the same time, I’ve got to use that and say, ‘Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better?’ And that’s really where I’m at from that standpoint. Do I feel like that’s me? No. But how can I grow from that situation and create a world where that’s not the case that anyone says that about Brian Flores?”

Tagovailoa said in the interview, which aired Monday, that current coach Mike McDaniel shifted the culture to focus on positivity and self-belief through preparation and discipline.

“If you woke up every morning and I told you … 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,” Tagovailoa said, referring to his experience with Flores, “and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this,’” he said in reference to McDaniel. “How would it make you feel listening to one or the other?”

Vikings safety Josh Metellus and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips stood beside Flores to show support on Tuesday.

A former player at Boston College who worked under Bill Belichick with the Patriots and coached the Dolphins from 2019-21, Flores said he still has the same feeling about coaching that he did when he started in the profession 21 years ago.

“I want to make that same kind of impact, positive impact, pour into young people,” Flores said, referencing his youth coaches and others who inspired him to give back to the game.

He hasn’t reached out to Tagovailoa since he was fired in January 2022, but Flores said he has thought about how that conversation might unfold.

“Maybe if that time arises or is available, I’m certainly open to that,” he said. “But I got a lot of other things going on, too, as he does. And again, I’m just really focused on the guys here and the work that we’re putting in here.

“I wish Tua nothing but the best.”

–Field Level Media

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross talks with Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, October 18, 2020. Dolphins Owner Stephen M Ross 06

Judge clears portion of Flores v. NFL discrimination suit to proceed

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit was cleared to move forward by a federal judge in New York on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan said Flores could advance systemic discrimination claims against the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and New York Giants.

However, the claim against his former employer, the Miami Dolphins, and co-plaintiff claims from Ray Horton and Steve Wilks, are being funneled to arbitration. The ruling puts the matter directly into the hands of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who can elect to serve as arbitrator in the case or opt to appoint one.

Douglas Wigdor, Flores’ attorney, summarized the district court ruling as a win and a loss.

“We are pleased that Coach Flores’ class claims of systematic discrimination against the NFL and several teams will proceed in court and ultimately before a jury of his peers,” Wigdor said in a statement. “We are disappointed the court compelled arbitration of any claims before Mr. Goodell as he is obviously biased and unqualified to rule on these matters. We expect him to delegate those matters to a truly neutral arbitrator as a matter of fundamental fairness.”

Flores was 24-25 as head coach of the Dolphins, who fired him in what was later revealed as part of a plan by ownership to lure Sean Payton, then under contract with the New Orleans Saints, to Miami. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was fined, suspended and the Dolphins lost their first-round pick in the 2023 draft as a result.

Flores’ lawsuit claims that from owners to general managers and beyond, “systemic racial discrimination in the hiring, retention and termination of NFL coaches and executives” is pervasive in the league.

The NFL said on Wednesday they look forward to moving ahead with arbitration as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement.

“We intend to move forward promptly with arbitrations as directed by the Court and to seek to dismiss the remaining claims,” the league said in a statement provided by spokesperson Brian McCarthy.

Historically, the NFL goes to great lengths to avoid the discovery phase permitted in a public court system jury trial.

The NFL argued in court that all of the matters should be limited to resolution by arbitration as part of a confidential review and hearings. The matters related to Wilks, and the Arizona Cardinals, and Horton’s claim against the Tennessee Titans, along with Flores’ dispute with the Dolphins all are covered by the terms of their employment contracts with those teams, Caproni ruled Wednesday.

But Flores can forge ahead seeking a jury trial against the other three teams.

“This case shines an unflattering spotlight on the employment practices of National Football League teams,” Caproni wrote in the ruling. “Although the clear majority of professional football players are Black, only a tiny percentage of coaches are Black.”

Flores spent last season as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He interviewed with the Cardinals for their head-coaching vacancy but withdrew to become defensive coordinator of the Vikings in February.

Flores accuses the Broncos and Giants of inviting him for what he considered “sham” interviews. Flores revealed that he received a congratulatory text intended for Brian Daboll from the Giants that was sent by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. But Flores hadn’t interviewed with the Giants yet. The team hired Daboll.

He also claims the Texans retaliated against him for filing the lawsuit.

–Field Level Media

Jan 9, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores watches from the sideline during the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals to interview Brian Flores

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Brian Flores plans to interview to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals this week.

The Cardinals are searching for a new general manager and head coach, firing Kliff Kingsbury earlier this week and turning the page after a playoff appearance in 2021.

Arizona was 4-13, ending the regular season with seven consecutive losses, in 2022.

Flores also interviewed to become defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns this week.

Flores served as assistant head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers last season after being fired by the Miami Dolphins in January 2022. He jumped into the head-coaching cycle one year ago, but the outcome of the process with the New York Giants led to a lawsuit against the NFL.

Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and highlighted three teams — the Dolphins, Giants and Denver Broncos — for racial discrimination in hiring practices. In Flores’ lawsuit, he alleges — among other claims — that Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami franchise, offered him a $100,000 bonus for each loss in an attempt to secure a top draft pick.

Flores shared a text from Bill Belichick that showed the New England Patriots coach mistakenly sent Flores a congratulatory message on getting the Giants’ head coaching job. The message was sent before Flores interviewed for the job and was intended instead for Brian Daboll, who ended up getting the position. That text message exchange is at the crux of Flores’ lawsuit.

–Field Level Media

Steve Wilks only got one season in Arizona. Bears Vs Cardinals 2018

Steve Wilks, Ray Horton join lawsuit against NFL

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Black coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton have joined Brian Flores’ class-action discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and various teams.

Both released statements Thursday.

Wilks, 52, currently the secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, is the former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He claims he was a “bridge coach” when he was fired after one season and a 3-13 record in 2018.

“This lawsuit has shed further important light on a problem we all know exists, but that too few are willing to confront,” Wilks said in his statement. “Black coaches and candidates should have exactly the same ability to become employed, remain employed, as white coaches and candidates. That is currently not the case …”

In his complaint, Wilks states that he had to coach without a general manager “during a critical time of the preseason” when Cardinals GM Steve Keim had been suspended following a DUI arrest. Further, he says Keim “had engaged in fireable conduct” but the team instead chose to extend Keim and buy out three years of Wilks’ contract. The Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury to replace Wilks.

Kingsbury “has been given a much longer leash than Mr. Wilks and, to his credit, has succeeded,” reads Wilks’ complaint.

Horton, who turns 62 next week, last coached with Washington in 2019 as defensive backs coach. He claims to have had a “sham” interview for head coach with the Tennessee Titans in 2016. Horton was a defensive coordinator for four teams, including the Cleveland Browns twice, from 2012-16.

Horton interviewed for the Titans’ head coach opening the same day the team hired Mike Mularkey, who later would say on a podcast that he was informed he would be the pick “before they went through the Rooney Rule.”

“When I learned from Coach Mularkey’s statements that my head coach interview with the Titans was a sham, I was devastated and humiliated,” Horton said in his statement. “By joining this case, I am hoping to turn that experience into a positive and make lasting change and create true equal opportunity in the future.”

At the time, Horton pushed back on an assertion made by then-Fritz Pollard Alliance chairman John Wooten that Horton was “insulted” by the interview.

“It was about a four-hour interview where great ideas were exchanged that I was told will be implemented in the Tennessee Titans organization. I couldn’t have been insulted by it, because it went well,” Horton told The Tennessean in a story published Jan. 17, 2016.

Flores filed the lawsuit on Feb. 1 against the NFL, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos along with John Doe Teams 1-29. He was fired by the Dolphins on Jan. 10 after a 24-25 record in three seasons as head coach.

–Field Level Media

Oct 24, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Houston Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Texans announce ‘additional’ talks with Lovie Smith

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Houston Texans announced Monday that they have “completed additional discussions” with Lovie Smith about their head coaching vacancy.

The team has reportedly moved on from Josh McCown, considered a finalist for the job to replace the fired David Culley. Brian Flores also remains a finalist for the position but has not had recent contact with the club, per reports.

Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who also twice interviewed for the job, was informed over the weekend that he would not be hired.

Smith, 63, spent the 2021 season as the Texans’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator under Culley, who was fired after Houston went 4-13 in his only season.

The Texans would be Smith’s third NFL head coaching job. He has an 89-87 regular-season record, including 81-63 with the Bears from 2004-12, taking the club to Super Bowl XLI. He was 8-24 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-15.

Smith returned to the college ranks after his departure from the Buccaneers. He was named head coach at the University of Illinois but failed to rejuvenate the long-struggling program and was 17-39 from 2016-20.

The Texans offered Smith an opportunity to return to the NFL as a coordinator in 2021. Houston finished 31st in total defense but showed signs of improvement late in the season, allowing an average of 24 points in the final four weeks after giving up an average of 27.4 points in its first 13 games.

–Field Level Media