Brian Flores has been a commodity in the coach-hiring carousel, but has yet to land a job outside of Pittsburgh. And, his status for 2023 should be made clear sooner rather than later.
Flores has already interviewed for the Vikings' vacant defensive coordinator position, and is considered to be one of two finalists, according to a report by NFL Network.
The second finalist was reported to be Broncos' defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, but the Panthers hired Evero Sunday afternoon to be their new defensive coordinator.
Denver's newly-hired head coach Sean Payton is in the middle of constructing his coaching staff, and Evero leaving creates an opening at defensive coordinator. Payton and the Broncos already got out in front of the possibility of Evero leaving for another job and have requested an interview with Flores at defensive coordinator, which is now set to take place on Tuesday, according to NFL Network.
In addition, Flores interviewed for the Cardinals' vacant head coaching position in mid-January, and despite some initial reports saying he was no longer under consideration for that job, Flores is scheduled to have a second interview on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the offseason, Flores has also interviewed for defensive coordinator jobs with the Browns and Falcons, but both teams went different directions and hired somebody else.
Flores has continued to do his job with the Steelers throughout this process. He was on the field at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., for the first two days of Senior Bowl practices last week, and was seen walking off the field engaged with Mike Tomlin at the conclusion of the second day.
Before accepting the job as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers last offseason, Flores spent three seasons as the head coach of the Dolphins, leading them to 10-6 and 9-8 records in the final two years, respectively, before Miami made the puzzling decision to fire him.
Steelers players raved about Flores and his contributions over the course of the year. And with him on the coaching staff, the Steelers' defense improved from a 24th-ranked group in 2021 to 13th in 2022. The biggest turnaround came on run defense, where the Steelers ranked ninth in the NFL after finishing dead last in rushing yards allowed and yards per carry against in 2021.
Flores has the resume and reputation to be a worthy candidate for any head coach or coordinator position. However, his lawsuit against the NFL, Giants, Broncos and Dolphins for racial discrimination turned teams off from hiring him last offseason. If he were to go a second year in a row with several interviews and is not hired, that could still be the case.
With these positions in Minnesota, Denver and Arizona still to be determined, it's far from a guarantee that Flores returns for the second year of his contract in Pittsburgh. Based on his qualifications for any coaching job, the Steelers would be awfully lucky to have him on staff in 2023.
The Steelers would not receive any draft compensation if Flores were to take any of these jobs because he has not been on the team's staff for the necessary two full seasons.
