Brian Flores to Join Steelers’ Coaching Staff, Ending Speculation of Patriots Return
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Those continuing to hold out hope for Brian Flores rejoining the New England Patriots’ defensive coaching staff in 2022 had those yearnings extinguished on Saturday. Despite his ongoing court battle with the NFL, Flores has found another coaching job in the league…outside of Foxboro.
The former Miami Dolphins head coach has been hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach, the team announced Saturday.
“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,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores’ hiring comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering that less than one month ago, he filed a lawsuit against the NFL, the Dolphins, the New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos, alleging racial discrimination in their hiring practices. Flores also alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him incentives to purposely lose games during his tenure, in hopes of improving the Dolphins’ selection standing in the NFL Draft. It is believed that Flores’ refusal to do so led to an irreparable rift between him and Ross, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
Throughout the past few weeks, Flores had interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs this offseason, including the Giants, Houston Texans, and Chicago Bears. As head coaching positions across the league began to be filled, speculation began to circulate around a possible reunion between him and the Patriots. However, such conjecture seemed to be mostly wishful thinking. Flores recently revealed that he had not spoken to Patriots coach Bill Belichick since the Patriots coach sent him a series of text messages which precipitated his lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Flores says that Belichick accidentally informed him, via text message, that the Giants had already chosen Daboll. In the chain of text messages between Flores and Belichick, the Pats head coach mistakenly congratulates Flores instead of Daboll on getting the Giants job. The exchange of texts between the former colleagues occurred three days before Flores was set to interview for the position. Daboll, like Flores, was also a former Belichick assistant.
While the series of events was likely the result of unfortunate happenstance, Flores shared his belief that Belichick may actually have had a hand in the Giants decision to hire Daboll instead of himself. As such, a reunion was, at best, a remote longshot.
Before becoming the Dolphins’ head coach in 2019, Flores was a longtime Patriots defensive coach. He joined the Patriots in 2004, at the age of 23 as a scouting assistant, the same year the franchise won its third Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXIX. He became a pro scout in 2006 before getting promoted to Bill Belichick's coaching staff in 2008, serving as a special teams coaching assistant until the end of the 2009 season. His title was changed to offensive/special teams assistant in 2010. He was named defensive assistant in 2011, where Flores and the Patriots would appear in Super Bowl XLVI. However, the team would fall to the Giants 21-17 in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.
In 2012, Flores was named the Patriots safeties' coach. During his four-years of holding the title, the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win their fourth Super Bowl title (2014) in Super Bowl XLIX. Flores was named New England’s linebackers' coach ahead of the 2016 season. That same year, Flores and the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl LI. Just one day after the Patriots lost Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia left to become the new head coach of the Detroit Lions. Flores was given the Patriots' defensive play calling duties. However, he was not given the title of defensive coordinator. Still, Flores’ defenses were consistently among the league’s most effective preventive units. In Flores' final game with the Patriots, the team defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13–3 in Super Bowl LIII. The game was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history, in which the Patriots defense was universally praised for its dominant performance.
The Patriots are set to take on the Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh during the 2022 season. Flores’ Steelers are also set to take on the Dolphins in the upcoming season, as well. The scheduling dates and times have yet to be determined.
