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Although he’d be wise to pick his next destination carefully, former Dolphins coach Brian Flores could have immediate options for a second act. Beyond the five current vacancies (other than the one in Miami), there could still be more.
But this isn’t about potentially undecided teams that could still fire, for example, a David Culley or a Joe Judge. This is about the possibility of an owner who had planned to keep the team’s coach deciding to swap out the current coach for Flores, if Flores can be landed.
It’s a possibility that Simms and I tripped over while discussing the stunning decision by owner Stephen Ross to fire Flores after the Dolphins’ first back-to-back winning seasons since 2002-03, an accomplishment marked by sweeping the Patriots. Of the teams that still have coaches, will one dump its coach for Flores?
Possibilities, as it relates to non-playoff teams without vacancies, include the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Colts, Texans, Chargers, Giants, Washington, Lions, Falcons, Saints, Panthers, and Seahawks.
I’d be most curious about the Panthers, and possibly the Seahawks. Maybe even the Jets, given Flores’s success in the AFC East.
It’s a delicate spot for Flores, to be sure. If he’s approached about possibly replacing a coach who would be fired only if Flores will take the job, would he agree to that? Some coaches insist that they won’t talk about a job that isn’t already vacant. But if a job will be vacant only if it will be filled by Flores, it won’t be vacant.
It’s something to watch in the coming days. No one expected Flores to be in the mix. Now that he is, will someone move quickly, before he takes a head-coaching job elsewhere?
