Brian Flores interviewed for the Jets head coaching position on Friday.
Flores has more than 20 years of NFL experience as a scout and coach. He spent three seasons as the Dolphins head coach, going 24-25 from 2019 to 2021.
The Brooklyn native has been Minnesota's defensive coordinator since 2023. Flores employs a blitz-heavy scheme. The Vikings finished fifth in points allowed and first in takeaways this season under Flores.
The Jets are winding down their second full week of interviewing candidates for their vacancy. Flores is the 13th known person to interview. They also are expected to meet with their former quarterback and Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on Friday.
The Jets are conducting an expansive search for a new general manager and head coach. They have interviewed 15 GM candidates. The Jets are expected to hold a second round of interviews with their top choices for general manager soon.
Flores, who is scheduled to interview with the Jaguars and Bears for their head coaching opening, would come with some baggage if the Jets hired him.
His termination in Miami wasn't necessarily performance based. Flores had a winning record in his last two seasons. He reportedly clashed with players, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and some coaches.
The Dolphins had four different offensive coordinators and two defensive coordinators in Flores' three seasons.
After Miami fired Flores, he interviewed with multiple teams. In 2022, Flores filed a class-action suit against the NFL, the Giants, Broncos and Dolphins for racial discrimination. The suit also alleged Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pressured Flores to deliberately lose games and offered him $100,000 for each loss.
Flores spent 2022 working on Mike Tomlin's staff in Pittsburgh as a linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant. Flores joined the Vikings under Kevin O'Connell the following year.
Flores began his NFL career as a Patriots scouting assistant in 2004. He worked for New England for 15 seasons as a scout, special teams assistant, assistant offense and special teams coach, defensive assistant, safeties coach and linebackers coach. Flores was a part of four Patriots' Super Bowl winning teams.