Jaguars 2025 head coach candidate profile: Vikings DC Brian Flores

For the third time in 5 years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a brand new head coach.

Large Cat Nation’s Jaguars head coach hiring course of tracker is continually being up to date — however to supply extra info on the highest candidates being interviewed, we’ll be releasing in-depth profiles all through the search.

Different head coach candidate profiles:

Subsequent up: Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, and former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, whom the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, and the Jaguars have all requested interviews with.

Picture by Stephen Maturen/Getty Photographs

Expertise

After beginning his soccer profession as a linebacker at Boston School in 1999, Flores at age 23 would start his NFL profession as a scouting assistant for the New England Patriots in 2004. After a promotion he would change into an expert scout for the staff via 2008, when he would tackle his first NFL teaching position because the particular groups teaching assistant. The promotions would proceed in New England via the 2018 season when he would finally transfer from defensive assistant, to safeties, to linebacker’s coach. All stated and completed, Flores would depart New England with 4 SuperBowl rings in 5 appearances and the consideration of calling defensive performs all through his ultimate season that featured the bottom scoring SuperBowl in NFL historical past – a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Flores was then employed by the Miami Dolphins to be their head coach in 2019. After a rocky 5-11 rookie season as head coach, he would lead the dolphins to a 10-6 report in his sophomore yr. Nonetheless, regardless of reaching 10 wins, they might not make the playoffs. The next season the staff would go 9-8 once more not making the playoffs, although reaching the Miami Dolphins’ first back-to-back profitable seasons in 17 years. Flores was then fired by the Miami Dolphins after the season, with a later NFL investigation carried out into Dolphins proprietor Stephen Ross for impermissible communication with each head coach Sean Peyton and quarterback Tom Brady throughout Flores’ employment.

After his time in Miami, Flores would take a task with the Pittsburgh Steelers as their senior defensive assistant and linebacker’s coach in 2022, then safe his present position because the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. After his preliminary season the place the staff would rank thirteenth in factors surrendered, Flores’ unit would enhance to fifth in 2024.

2022 Lawsuit

Per a lawsuit subsequently filed by Flores after his termination, he and the remainder of the category sued the NFL, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins for racial discrimination in hiring practices. Moreover, the lawsuit alleged that Flores was pressured by Ross to lose video games for higher draft picks all through his tenure and pressured to satisfy quarterback Tom Brady illegally in an try to lure him to Miami. As a substitute, per the lawsuit, Flores would obtain these two profitable seasons regardless of ownerships’ requests, leading to his fast dismissal. The Miami Dolphins portion of the lawsuit was then compelled into arbitration in 2023 and remains to be ongoing, because the remaining class motion disputes proceed in court docket individually.

Efficiency

2024 Vikings protection

Factors allowed per sport: 19.5 (fifth)

First downs allowed per sport: 19.1 (ninth)

Yards allowed per sport: 335.4 (sixteenth)

Yards allowed per play: 5.3 (twenty fourth)

EPA per play: -0.091 (2nd)

Success price: 41.3% (fifth)

Passing protection

Complete touchdowns allowed: 37 (seventh)

First downs per sport allowed: 12.8 (twenty ninth)

Yards per sport allowed: 242.0 (twenty eighth)

Yards per try allowed: 6.0 (ninth)

EPA per play: -0.035 (2nd)

Success price: 44.0% (fifth)

Dashing protection

Complete touchdowns allowed: 12 (seventh)

First downs per sport allowed: 19.1 (ninth)

Yards per sport allowed: 93.4 (2nd)

Yards per try allowed: 4.1 (4th)

EPA per play: -0.203 (1st)

Success price: 35.8% (third)

Situational offense

Early down EPA per play: -0.077 (third)
Early down success price: 41.2% (fifth)
Late down EPA per play: -0.138 (4th)
Late down success price: 41.6% (sixth)
Landing price within the pink zone: 59.2% (18th)

Quotes

High 10 NFL Head Teaching Candidates for 2025

From Alex Kennedy with ProFootball Community (Jan. 2025)

In contrast to many members of Invoice Belichick’s teaching employees, Flores has proven the flexibility to adapt his scheme to his present environment. For instance, the Patriots historically performed excessive ranges of man protection, which Flores dropped at the Dolphins. Miami performed the best stage of man protection within the NFL (50%) throughout Flores’ head-coaching tenure from 2019-21. Nonetheless, the Vikings have performed man protection on the fourth-lowest price (18%) throughout Flores’ two seasons in Minnesota. He’s managed to show man protection into an efficient change-up pitch with out counting on it, because the Vikings common the second-highest EPA per play in man protection since 2023.

Bears Reportedly Request Interview With Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores

From Luis C. Medina with Bleacher Nation (Jan. 2025)

One of many causes issues didn’t finish nicely with Flores in Miami is due to how he dealt with the Tua Tagovailoa scenario. Perhaps Flores has realized some issues concerning methods to deal with quarterbacks from Kevin O’Connell. If that’s the case, then I feel Flores is price interviewing. Even when Brian Flores doesn’t have the proper plan for offensive success, I’d nonetheless need to hear his pitch — if solely as a result of I feel it might be enlightening to listen to him speak about his defensive philosophy.

Vikings’ Brian Flores – it might take ‘right situation’ to just accept one other head teaching job

From Emily Leiker with The Minnesota Star Tribune (Jan. 2025)

He stated when he left the Steelers in 2022, after one season as linebackers coach, he was trying to work with an offensive thoughts like Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell to develop his information about that facet of the ball. “I can bounce questions off him and kind of pick his brain from an offensive standpoint, and he does the same thing with me, so it’s been a great kind of marriage,” Flores stated. “I don’t want to leave without saying it’s been fantastic here in Minnesota. It would have to be the right situation for me to leave.”

Rating prime NFL head coach candidates for 2025 openings

From Dan Graziano with ESPN (Dec. 2024)

Past the lawsuit, there are additionally lingering questions on a few of his relationships from his time in Miami, most prominently the one involving him and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa has spoken publicly about a few of the points he had with Flores. Individuals who have labored with and performed for Flores in Minnesota have stated that Tagovailoa’s feedback don’t line up with their expertise, and it’s definitely doable issues can be completely different if he will get a second likelihood to be a head coach. He’s going to should persuade groups that would be the case.

How the Vikings’ Defensive Scheme Underneath Brian Flores Works

From Warren Ludford with The Day by day Norseman (Oct.2024)

Flores has blitzed on 40.8% of drop backs- second-highest price behind Denver- most frequently sending only one blitzer together with two defensive tackles and two edge rushers. Total, the Vikings have generated a quarterback stress on 38.3% of drop backs- eighth greatest within the league.

Obvious pluses
Prior head teaching expertise in dealing with a rebuild, with a profitable report. After taking on an Adam Gase Miami Dolphins staff that went 7-9 in 2018, Flores would lead Miami to its first consecutive profitable seasons since 2003. In his worst season, he was 5-11, nonetheless ending 5–4 after starting the season 0–7 through the ‘Tanking for Tua’ marketing campaign.

Brian Flores:

2019: 5-11

2020: 10-7

2021: 9-8

Mike McDaniel:

2022: 9-8

2023: 11-6

2024: 8-9

An in depth resume of near-immediate enchancment on the defensive facet of the ball at each single cease.

– Flores took over because the Patriots’ defensive play-caller in 2018 following the departure of Matt Patricia and noticed New England leap from twenty seventh in EPA per play to seventh.

– Flores’ Dolphins protection ranked thirtieth in EPA per play in his first season in 2019, nevertheless it jumped to fourth in 2020 and completed sixth in 2021.

– Flores’ Vikings protection ranked twentieth in EPA per play in his first season as defensive coordinator in 2023 however ranked second in 2024.

A schematic mastermind who would be capable to instill a tradition of physicality and aggressiveness throughout the group.
Versatile as a play caller. He has proven a capability to create a protection match for Jacksonville’s particular personnel, to enhance the Jaguars’ thirty first ranked protection by closely shifting his protection and alignment profiles primarily based on the completely different personnel.

Lingering questions

Performative or reputable interviews? Certainly one of Flores’ main questions is what influence, if any will the present litigation have on his future teaching prospects? Would NFL homeowners really be keen to permit him a second alternative to educate or are the present requests for interviews merely a public relation transfer throughout his ongoing lawsuit and arbitration?
Relationship with offensive gamers. Let’s face it offensive guys and defensive guys merely function otherwise (usually). Most defensive coaches are typically uber-aggressive, whereas many offensive coaches usually gentler of their model or communication – primarily in teaching up the quarterback room and ability positions. With the allegations of some battle between his two Miami Dolphins quarterbacks, will Flores be capable to successfully coach to the offensive gamers in a manner that they hear? Has he realized from that have and his time in Minnesota?

One factor I’ve heard from a number of folks about Brian Flores is how a lot he’s grown since his first head teaching job, gaining precious expertise beneath Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota over the previous two years. https://t.co/QwytDDlTMt

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 16, 2025

Would somebody with a scouting background and expertise like Flores be capable to work with Trent Baalke in constructing the roster or would their personalities, roster opinions, or scouting preferences conflict? Baalke is thought to have his sure tips about what gamers he can be keen to draft (IE: arm size, hand measurement, athletic profile, and many others). Whose philosophy would win the day when push involves shove?

Tony Wiggins for Locked On Jaguars not too long ago made a fairly unimaginable gross sales pitch for Brian Flores that supplied full context to his time in Miami, whereas additionally not discounting any previous allegations of discomfort by gamers. As he summarized on Twitter, “give me a mean winner over a comfortable loser.” It’s positively price a pay attention.

Jaguar followers, how would you’re feeling about Flores in Jacksonville? Tell us within the feedback!