Brian Flores once interviewed for the Denver Broncos head coaching vacancy when it was available in 2019. He called that process a “sham” in a lawsuit filed against the NFL just one year ago. Flores was fired as Miami Dolphins head coach shockingly last offseason, replaced by Mike McDaniel. He became an assistant on Mike Tomlin’s staff with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The lawsuit against the NFL hasn’t prevented Flores from getting looks and opportunities from other teams, including the Denver Broncos. Flores’ issue with the Broncos was apparently not with the organization, but the interview process led by Joe Ellis and John Elway. The team came out and obviously fought back against the accusations made by Flores and his legal team, calling his accusations “baseless and defamatory”.
Apparently, that could soon all be just water under the bridge. Flores is now being requested to interview for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator job, which isn’t yet officially open.
Brian Flores could become Denver Broncos defensive coordinator
Now with Sean Payton as the team’s head coach, the expectation has been that Payton is gearing up to assemble an all-star staff. There were initially rumors that he was going to bring in Vic Fangio, and for a brief bit there, I started to believe that Fangio would come back to the Broncos as defensive coordinator under Payton if the price was right.
The #Broncos have requested to interview with #Steelers LBs coach and senior defensive assistant Brian Flores for their defensive coordinator position under Sean Payton, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 3, 2023
As it has played out, Fangio has accepted a job with the Miami Dolphins to be Mike McDaniel’s defensive coordinator and likely the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL. Could Flores come close to matching him as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos?
The Dolphins didn’t make the playoffs in Flores’ final two years with the team, but they did have a winning record. And the identity of that team was undoubtedly how well they played defense week in and week out. Flores comes from the New England Patriots where he was involved in a variety of different areas of the team.
He would be a tremendous asset to Sean Payton’s coaching staff but what does this interview request mean for Ejiro Evero, the current defensive coordinator for the Broncos who is under contract?
Well, it could mean that his days as a Bronco are numbered, although the team maintains that they want him back. The question at this point is — Does Evero want to be back?
I am having some serious doubts, but my gut has certainly been wrong before.
At this point in time, Flores joining the Broncos would represent the clearest picture that things are different now than they were two or three years ago because the allegations he made against the Broncos and specifically John Elway/Joe Ellis managed to elicit this response from Elway on his Facebook page:
Just a year ago, John Elway posted this to Facebook. Brian Flores is now potentially being brought in for a DC interview. This ownership group along with the front office is saying one thing very clearly, “we just want to win.” pic.twitter.com/hC9UcNMfvf
— Chandler Hyler P.O (@chandler_hyler) February 3, 2023
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Needless to say, hearing that Flores was going to interview with the Broncos generated a ton of buzz among the fan base, most of which was of the “shocked” variety. Nevertheless, with new ownership in place, a new GM in George Paton, and Sean Payton at the helm as head coach, Brian Flores would be a tremendous defensive coordinator. Of course, in the event that Ejiro Evero does walk away from the gig.