For the second time in three years, Brian Flores is going to interview with the Chicago Bears regarding the team’s vacant head coach position.
As NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports, Flores figures to be busy this weekend as he has a trio of interviews lined up with teams inquiring about his interest in returning to the ranks of the league’s head coaches:
In addition to the Bears’ interview on Saturday, Brian Flores has interviews with the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday. Let the record show that these are all virtual interviews. Teams cannot have in-person interviews with candidates who are currently under contract with NFL teams until Jan. 20 at the earliest. So hold your horses if you are ready to get this search over with because a little bit more patience will be required on your part. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
The Bears sent out an interview request for Brian Flores on Jan. 6. This is what we had to say about his candidacy at the time:
Even with the success that Minnesota has had on the defensive side of the ball, the biggest hang-up in Brian Flores’ candidacy has everything to do with what he could do to further develop Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. One of the reasons things did not end well with Flores in Miami is because of how he handled the Tua Tagovailoa situation. Maybe Flores has learned some things regarding how to handle quarterbacks from Kevim O’Connell. If so, then I think Flores is worth interviewing.
Even if Brian Flores doesn’t have the perfect plan for offensive success, I’d still want to hear his pitch — if only because I think it would be enlightening to hear him talk about his defensive philosophy. Don’t get me wrong. I want the Bears to prioritize getting things right on the offensive side of the ball with this next head coach hire. However, after seeing the defense take a step back in 2024, I am open to hearing how a different coach or defensive philosophy could get the most out of a talented group.
I still stand by what I wrote in early January. The Bears should have an open mind when talking shop with these candidates. But with that being said, there are some red flags popping up that I simply can’t ignore.
Brian Flores will be this coaching cycle’s most polarizing candidate
The folks at Awful Announcing pulled some quotes from Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was a quarterback who played for Brian Flores when he was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach. Some of these made alarm sirens go off in my head:
- “I think the interesting thing about 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 lol getting? In Year 1 with Miami… [the Dolphins] got rid of every good player they had; that was jokingly called the ‘Tank for Tua year.’ Halfway through that year, we hadn’t won a game yet, and there was a shift in the way he was approaching his job. He was likable. He was relatable. He demanded a lot out of the players, but he was also able to get the version of his players — and I really appreciated him for that.”
- “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 was where he cut his teeth in the NFL; was there for 15-plus years as an assistant. 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, ‘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 [Whitworth] 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 relationships that he built up through the NFL. And his ego grew so big that there wasn’t room for anyone else.”
- “And I think he’s going to have a hard time getting some guys on that staff to say, ‘Yes, I would love to coach for that guy again.’ That being said, I do think he’s learned a lot. And I do think that he’s shown — the job he’s done in Minnesota has been unbelievable. He’s such a relatable guy when he just is himself. And I think that’s the most important thing for him.
For what it’s worth, Fitzpatrick would go on to add: “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 learned a lot.” So it’s not as if it was all bad for Brian Flores. But some of those comments are concerning. And I hope the Bears see that, too.
On the one hand, I strongly believe in second chances. I feel as if people can learn from their mistakes and pick up things they’ve learned from others to apply to future experiences. Plus, I am cognizant enough to understand that the NFL’s history is loaded with coaches who did better the second time around than they did on their maiden voyages as head coaches.
But on the other hand, reading those quotes gives me pause when thinking about Brian Flores as a Bears candidate. This isn’t to say that they are completely disqualifying. However, I hope the Bears’ interview process pushes Flores for answers about what went sideways in Miami and how he plans to make sure that doesn’t happen again if he were to become the next head coach for Chicago’s football team. If his answers don’t blow this team over, then his candidacy as Matt Eberflus’ full-time replacement should be short-lived.
In the end, I find myself feeling as if Brian Flores is the most polarizing head coach candidate connected to the Bears in this hiring cycle. Flores has the type of passion that could bring fans into his corner. And I don’t think it would hurt to have a fiery head coach patrolling the sidelines at Soldier Field. But I fear that ending Eberflus’ tenure to turn around and hire a defensive-leaning head coach to navigate the Caleb Williams era would backfire in the worst ways imaginable. Maybe it could work. But if Ryan Poles was hired to break the cycle (which is what he said on draft weekend last year), then hiring Flores shouldn’t be in the cards.