Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has emerged as a top head coach candidate in the 2025 hiring cycle for his transformation of the Vikings defense.
However, his candidacy is tainted by testimonies from several former players of his, most recently quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Appearing on his podcast, “Fitz and Whit,” with former Los Angeles Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth, Fitzpatrick likened Flores to a “dictator” in his final days as the Miami Dolphins head coach — a reputation that could impact his chances to land a job as a head coach in the offseason.
“I think he’s gonna have a really hard time, Fitzpatrick said. “I think in the interviews he’ll be likable, he’ll be relatable, but when people say, ‘give me somebody from Miami that coached under you as a reference, so we can talk to them,’ I think he burnt a lot of bridges there, I think he alienated himself from the entire staff instead of having the humility to ask questions, to collaborate. By the end of his time there, he became a dictator. He ruined a lot of those relationships that he built up through the NFL and his ego grew so big that there wasn’t any room for anyone else.”
Flores has received interview requests from the New York Jets and Chicago Bears so far, which he is eligible to have virtually starting next week.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Details Vikings DC Brian Flores’ Final Days With Dolphins
Earlier in the 2024 season, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa broke his silence on how Flores treated him, calling Flores a “terrible person” and needing two years of supportive coaching from Mike McDaniel to undo the doubt Flores had sowed.
Fitzpatrick, who played in Miami in the first two years of Flores’ three-year tenure, recounted the 43-year-old defensive guru’s decline.
“In Year 1 with Miami, Miami got rid of every good player they had, and it was, jokingly, called the “Tank-for-Tua” year. Halfway through the year, we hadn’t won a game yet and there was a shift in the way that he was approaching his job. He was likable, he was relatable, he demanded a lot out of the players, but he was also able to get the best version of his players, and I really appreciated him for that,” Fitzpatrick said. “But as his tenure went on in Miami, he kind of became unrecognizable.
“It just became such a power-driven ego trip in the coaching meeting rooms of ‘it is my way or the highway.’ There wasn’t a collaboration. I heard some horror stories after I left, so I think he’s going to have a hard time getting some guys on that staff to say, ‘Yes, I would love to coach for that guy again.’ ”
Fitzpatrick Gives Flores His Flowers
GettyVikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores celebrates with linebacker Blake Cashman
It wasn’t all sour grapes from Fitzpatrick, who has seen growth from Flores since his firing in 2022, saying “everybody in that Miami building loved him.”
“I do think he’s learned a lot, and the job he’s done in Minnesota this year has been unbelievable,” Fitzpatrick added. “He’s such a relatable guy when he just is himself and I think that’s the most important thing for him and hopefully a thing he’s learned the most is, you are enough, you don’t have to be anybody else. You don’t have to try to imitate Bill Belichick. Be you.”
Flores has shown a collaborative spirit with players on his defense, often consulting safety Harrison Smith for his insight. Several Vikings players have gone to bat for him in light of Tagovailoa’s comments as well.
There’s been a level of trust built in the Vikings defense over the past two years, and whether that trust will develop at Flores’ next stop remains the question for any prospective team.
“I think the interesting thing with Brian Flores, when I think about him and being able to play under him for a few years, is which version of Brian Flores are we getting,” Fitzpatrick said.
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