A top head coach candidate for the New York Jets was recently called a “dictator” by a respected former NFL quarterback, but that hasn’t stopped the coach from being heavily sought after on the market.
It also hasn’t stopped other former players from endorsing the coach for the Jets’ vacancy.
While Jets Nation seems to have decided that Detroit Lions Aaron Glenn is the best man for the job, Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter of Minnesota Vikings fame thinks there’s an even better candidate for Gang Green: current Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Jets X-Factor’s Thomas Christopher recently reported on Carter’s endorsement of Flores, who is allegedly as high as No. 2 on New York’s list of candidates.
“Carter believes that … Flores would make a good fit for the Jets,” Christopher said on Sunday.
“Speaking to Kyle Odegard of Casino Apps, the legendary wideout dished on why he believes Flores would make a good head coach with the Jets. Primarily concerning the defense, Carter thinks the team could get back to their elite ways defensively with Flores at the helm.”
“On top of that, (Carter) believes that it would make a Jets-(Miami) Dolphins rivalry that has cooled off in recent years, rekindled yet again.”
“I think in a city like New York, with the Jets, he would be a viable candidate with that defense,” Carter said, per Christopher.
“They’re playing some good defense in New York, and he has that background with Miami, so he could add to that rivalry.”
Christopher also acknowledged that Flores hasn’t received only positive reviews in recent weeks.
“Flores is an interesting option for New York,” Christopher continued. “The pros and cons of his previous head coaching tenure in Miami have been publicly displayed, and not everything has been positive. Recently, former Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick referred to Flores as a “dictator” and was wary about him receiving another head coaching option.”
The “dictator” reference referred to by Christopher was first reported by Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann earlier in January.
“Ryan Fitzpatrick has plenty to say about Brian Flores and none of it is particularly warm or fuzzy,” Neumann said.
“I think (Flores) burned a lot of bridges (in Miami),” Fitzpatrick said, per Neumann.
“I think he alienated himself from the entire staff. Instead of … having the humility to ask questions, to collaborate, I think by the end of his time there, he became a dictator. He ruined a lot of relationships that he built up through the NFL. And his ego grew so big that there wasn’t room for anyone else.”
Fitzpatrick — now an analyst for Amazon — was a quarterback for the Dolphins when Flores was head coach in Miami, so his comments carry some weight.
Still, no coaching candidate is perfect, nor does any coach in general have a track record without its stains.
Flores is a brilliant defensive mind, as Carter’s endorsement reminds us, and if Flores doesn’t land in New York, another franchise will benefit from his excellence for many years to come