The Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson after a miserable 4-13 season. Despite the playoff victory in his first year in Duval, the past two seasons cost Pederson his gig. Now, owner Shad Khan and general manager Trent Baalke are casting a wide net to find their new coach. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been requested by the Jaguars for an interview.
“We have requested an interview with Brian Flores for our Head Coach vacancy,” the Jaguars posted on social media.
This is far from the first job that Flores is connected to. The Bears and Jets have requested an interview with Flores. He spent three years as the Dolphins head coach before he was fired. Since he spent time with the Steelers and this season with the Vikings. Flores’ work with a Minnesota defense with low expectations has shot his stock upwards.
The Jaguars made waves not by firing Pederson but by keeping Baalke. This will be the third head coach he hires in his five-year tenure in Jacksonville. His first hire was Urban Meyer, which did not last one season. Pederson got them to the playoffs but went 5-18 in his last 23 games with the team.
What can Brian Flores learn from his run as the Dolphins head coach? And what would he bring to the Jaguars if he landed back in Florida?
Is Brian Flores the right fit for the Jaguars?
Flores had a team quarterbacked by Ryan Fitzpatrick on the brink of the playoffs in his second season with the Dolphins. Even though they were blown out in Week 17 to miss the dance, they crushed pre-season expectations in 2020. While fans praised his coaching ability, things in the locker room were not as great.
Fitzpatrick, now an analyst with Amazon Prime, panned Flores’ tenure in Miami on a podcast. “As his tenure went on in Miami, he kinda became unrecognizable,” Fitzpatrick said. “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.”
This has not scared away every team, but it will be interesting to see how Flores’ candidacy continues. Fitzpatrick was on the Jets and would not give Flores a great recommendation. But if the Jaguars do fall in love with him, he could be the better Flores from his first year than the rest of his time in Miami.
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