Less than a month after filing a lawsuit against the NFL and four of its teams, Brian Flores has landed a job. The Steelers announced Saturday they added the former Dolphins head coach to their staff.
Flores will serve as a senior defensive assistant on Mike Tomlin‘s staff, heading up the team’s linebacking corps. Prior to going to Miami in 2019, Flores finished his lengthy New England tenure as the Patriots’ linebackers coach.
“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores is not dropping his suit against the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Not long after the Giants hired Brian Daboll, Flores filed his racial discrimination suit. The NFL is investigating the Dolphins as a result of Flores’ claim that owner Stephen Ross offered him six-figure bonus payments for losses in 2019. Flores also named the Broncos and Texans in his explosive suit. All four organizations have denied Flores’ accusations.
The three-year Miami HC and 15-year New England assistant was not on Pittsburgh’s interview list for its recently filled defensive coordinator position. The team promoted Teryl Austin to its DC post last month. The Steelers, who are coming off their fifth straight season leading the NFL in sacks, will now feature one of the more experienced defensive staffs in modern NFL history. Flores went 24-25 as Dolphins HC but led the team to back-to-back winning seasons to close out his tenure. The Dolphins have since replaced him with former 49ers OC Mike McDaniel.
The Bears, Giants, Saints and Texans each interviewed Flores for their HC jobs during this cycle, one that came after the Dolphins surprisingly cut his tenure short hours after the team finished a rare sweep of the Patriots. Despite Flores’ lawsuit, the Texans included him among the finalists for their HC position. The team, however, went with an off-the-board hire by announcing Lovie Smith‘s promotion. Flores soon included the Texans as the fourth team in his suit.
This move will also reunite Flores with Minkah Fitzpatrick, whom the Dolphins traded early in the 2019 season. Miami drafted Fitzpatrick in the 2018 first round, prior to Flores’ arrival, and the talented safety clashed with Flores and his staff a year and change into his career. One season remains on the All-Pro defender’s deal, though the Steelers can be expected to extend him this year. The Steelers will also face the Dolphins next season.
Despite all the antics after he was fired. The guy is a heck of a football coach. You can’t say that it won’t be an improvement to the Steelers defense of staff.
As long as Flores is not distracted by his other activities and focuses on coaching, I would agree. He was a very good defensive coach in his prior stops. I’m not sure that Flores is great with personnel decisions, but his strategic capability is not something I question.
Good for the Steelers to not allow Flores to get blackballed out of the league.
That he has to take a linebackers coach job shows that that was probably the plan.
He was never going to get blackballed. However he is unlikely to get another HC offer. He might get rich though.
He is already rich
I first thought when I heard the news while out an hour ago was that they just hired Tomlin’s successor for when he retires after the next season or two.
Hes not retiring
Ya the mason rudolph era has begun why would he want to miss out on that
Glad I had just swallowed the last sip of my coffee or I’d have literally spit it out
Hahahahaha, this is a settlement and because of the Steelers’ Bull Schiff Rooney Rule!!!!
Flores should have been busted down to working/coaching Pop Warner league kids, but the problem is, he is a poor example to kids!
You’re the one of bull crap.
I hope Lefty is being sarcastic. Or maybe he’s drinking n commenting.
He led the Dolphins to their first back to back winning seasons in almost two decades despite coming off a full teardown tank and a bunch of wasted high draft picks. You’re telling on yourself.
“Flores is not dropping his suit against the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.”
Tell me your’re racist, without saying your’re racist.
He may have made a stupid comment but that does not make him racist. That fall back is getting old.
Why would someone bring up the Rooney rule in this case if they were not racist to some degree? His hiring clearly had absolutely nothing to do with it.
We get it. You are racist. We don’t need a show and demonstration.
Everyone in this comment section is now dumber for having read your post. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Billy Madison lmao
Busted. Down.
For being uppity, right?
Great hire and if nothing else, maybe a guy who along with Austin can provide some insights into defensive game management for Tomlin.
Flores is a good coach but needs better people skills and he needs not to play favorites and if u do u sure and the hell don’t show it and you do not treat people differently like he does . maybe he will learn but at this point seems like he will not as he doesn’t even think or care that he does . I think maybe he can take a step back as lb coach and maybe improve relationships.
Good take kevin t.
You are spot on about Flores. A great defensive mind who just wasn’t ready for the top job yet. If he can round over the rough edges on interpersonal issues and mellow his stubbornness, he can be a great head coach some day.
Tomlin could be the perfect mentor for Flores.
This guy is a bozo
Projecting.
Huge projection
Massive projection.
It’s a good move and I’m glad my Steelers hired him!
What is the over/under on how long it will be before we can add the Steelers to the list of teams he is suing?
Nope.
Over
I guess checks cash whether or not they’re signed by r8cists
Calling the rooneys racist?
Tomlin is hoping he can make him a players coach…if not it will be one and done for him. He is winner and great mind no doubt…but his personality will continue to die him in if you can’t adjust.
What a loser and a whiner.. I didn’t get the job so it must be racism . Perhaps- just perhaps – others were better choices. Put the card back in ur wallet and become a better coach!
He won seven games in a row with the worst offensive line in football. He gave them two straight winning seasons for the first time in years. He replaced Adam Gase, who failed his way directly into another head coach job.
And yet Adam Gase actually got the Dolphins to the playoffs. Flores is not bad, but he’s not some great head coach. The conflict with Tua is not indicative of a good leader. Flores would be a solid DC.
Gase didn’t have to overlap with Josh Allen getting good. And you’re already condemning a guy with back to back winning seasons as a head coach to only being a DC? Many worse guys get second (and sometimes third) shots.
I’m not sure we should be giving any credit to Gase for getting to one Wild Card game and getting blown out 30-12 in it. He had Tannehill, Jay Ajayi burst onto the scene, Jarvis Landry, plus Cameron Wake, Suh, and Kiko Alonso on defense. Practically nothing to show for it. They went 10-6 but squeaked into the playoffs despite actually being outscored. Meanwhile, Flores went 10-6 in 2020 and outscored opponents by 66 points but did not make it, the same year WFT went 7-9 and won their division. It’s a crapshoot.
Flores is way better than Gase, yet Gase easily picked up another gig while Flores should never even have been fired but couldn’t get another job.
Flores shouldn’t have been fired, but he also shouldn’t have tried to take control of the franchise. Ownership shouldn’t have stuck its head into his decisions. There are a lot of “shouldn’ts” involved with the Dolphins, and Flores is not innocent in this conflict-though he may have exposed the one fatal decision that may bring Ross down.
Somehow everyone came out of that situation looking much, much worse than before. Flores is a good coach I think in terms of strategy, but I don’t know how much he is ready to work with others.
Don’t kid yourself. People that sue their employers are NEVER hired back. The Steelers probably got a call from Goodell promising them good things if they took one for the league.
Tomlinson one of the best coaches in the league. He probably sees the value in Flores, who should have never been fired if the criteria was results. Thanks
Tomlin….auto corrected for some reason
I’ve never seen this before…wide angle, higher camera view of the Immaculate Reception. Pretty cool.
link to twitter.com
I saw that earlier today and even though I hate the Steelers, that was awesome. I always wanted to see a good angle of that play, and now we have it.
This is a great hire! Tomlin needs to hire someone that will challenge him and now he has done so! Good job!
Tomlin has exceeded all expectations so why do they need someone to challenge him?
I dunno. I think coaches especially have a tendency to stagnate in their positions the longer they stay. If Flores or anyone else on staff—particularly a new GM—perhaps it will light something of a fire underneath him
I look at the kinds of players he had here in his first few years, the players he and Colbert drafted, the offensive and defensive “philosophies” and it simply looks as though they’ve settled into the position they are in as a middle of the pack kind of team. That’s fine and all, but maybe some guys around him can bring some fresh air, too
Yeah, players get older and the league has changed but it seems that Tomlin has misfired in terms of replacing aging players, identifying areas of need and in development of who has come in
Steeler fans won’t realize how fortunate they’ve been to have Tomlin until after he’s gone. He held the team together through dramas involving James Harrison, Antonio Brown. L’Veon Bell and even Big Ben.
say what you want about if he should have a higher position (he should, to be fair), but this is a darn good hire.
Yea! See, he got hired
Well that’s one team that’s safe from getting sued
I would have terminated Flores because the Miami Dolphins took a step back this past season instead of a step forward & in fact I would have terminated Flores before the Dolphins broke their 7 game losing streak
Flores took a garbage team and posted a respectable record. He deserves better than the Dolphins. It was a blessing for him in the long run that they fired him. I just wish my Giants would have hired him.
Flores also had a long losing streak & that should be taken into consideration just as much as anything else & if I was making the call he would have been let go before that long losing streak ended.
Have you looked at the Dolphin’s roster? That’s not Flores’ fault.
It was his fault on how the team performed under his watch
I don’t follow the Dolphins much but didn’t he post a winning record last season with a subpar roster? I think that tells us everything we need to know. From what it sounds like, Stephan Ross was actually pissed he didn’t lose more. Pretty simple to see where the problem was.
His team took a huge step backwards this past season & that’s the only way to explain the long losing streak the team suffered & the only one responsible is the Head Coach which was Brian Flores. You can take Flores side in the lawsuit but he still needs to prove his allegations.
OH YEAH I would have also terminated Chris Grier because the team hasn’t improved under his watch & he’s made huge mistakes in players he’s traded & with the Dolphins 2020 1st pick in the Draft since he took an injury prone QB who at best is the 3rd best QB of that draft
I wish my Giants would have hired Flores. He is a helluva coach and will land on his feet in spite of the controversy.