Tom Brady won three Super Bowls in New England alongside assistant Brian Daboll and another with Brian Flores on the staff in Foxborough.
Now the seven-time NFL champion and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner is reportedly eying reunion with both in Sin City, where a rebuild is already well underway.
As reported by Pro Football Talk’s NFL insider Mike Florio, Brady is rumored to be pushing for Flores to replace current head coach Pete Carroll with Daboll coming on for offensive coordinator is Greg Olson.
The Raiders entered Sunday’s season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs at a league-worst 2-14. A loss against Andy Reid & Co. would clinch the top pick in April’s Draft for Las Vegas, a team rumored to be interested in quarterbacks such as Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore.
Daboll was fired as head coach of the New York Giants earlier this season, while Flores is finishing an impressive season as the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator with his contract set to expire in the offseason.
Although Flores’ coaching career began with the Patriots’ special teams unit in 2008, after Daboll had moved on from New England, the two will always be linked thanks to their former boss, iconic head coach Bill Belichick.
Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady yells encouragement to players in August
Flores (right) and Brady are seen speaking before a November 16 game in Minneapolis
Daboll was an assistant coach with the Patriots before moving on to Buffalo and New York
In 2022, Flores sued the NFL, Dolphins, Giants and Broncos, saying the league was ‘rife with racism,’ particularly in its hiring and promotion of black coaches.
Flores, who is of black and Honduran descent, brought the lawsuit after he was fired by Miami, where he led the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years.
At the heart of Flores’ lawsuit is the league’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview outside minority candidates for top coaching and front-office positions. Flores believes this rule is simply a fig leaf to mask racist hiring practices.
To illustrate this point, Flores’ lawsuit included text messages from his former boss, Belichick, in which the legendary NFL coach congratulated his long-time defensive assistant for getting the Giants head-coaching position.
The problem was, Flores had yet to even interview for the job.
Apparently, Belichick intended to text another Brian, Daboll, who had already interviewed twice and was ultimately hired for the position.
The text message from Belichick to his former assistant began with the Patriots coach saying, ‘Sounds like you have landed – congrats!!’
A confused Flores responded: ‘Did you hear something I didn’t here?
‘I interview on Thursday,’ Flores added. ‘I think I have a shot.’
Brian Flores served under Bill Belichick as the linebackers coach in New England, where he also called plays for a team that would go on to beat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII
Belichick assured him that he does.
‘Got it. I hear from Buffalo & NYG that you are their guy. Hope it works out if you want it to!!’
Flores then told his mentor that he hoped he’s right before questioning whether Belichick reached out to the right person.
‘Coach, are you talking to Brian Flores or Brian Daboll. Just making sure.’
Belichick quickly realized his shocking fumble.
‘Sorry. I f***ed this up. I double checked and misread my text. I think they are naming Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB’
The now-shattered Flores signed off: ‘Thanks Bill.’
The story served to argue that the Giants had made up their mind to hire Daboll before even speaking with Flores.
Flores’s lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Federal Court, included text messages in which Bill Belichick, his former boss, mistakenly congratulated him for getting hired by the Giants
Flores’ lawsuit also included the allegation that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss in 2021 to help the Dolphins get the first pick of the NFL Draft in 2022. The lawsuit alleged that Ross then pressured Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules. When Flores refused, he was cast as the ‘angry Black man’ who is difficult to work with and was derided until he was fired, the suit said.
The Dolphins responded to the lawsuit when it was filed by saying it vehemently denied any allegations of racial discrimination and was ‘proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization.’
Likewise, the Giants and Broncos have denied any wrongdoing in the case. Co-plaintiffs Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, both of whom are black, supported Flores’s accusations of discriminatory hiring and firing practices by league teams.
The case is still ongoing after a federal appeals court ruled it can proceed in open court despite the NFL’s efforts to force the dispute into private arbitration.
Although Flores had an up-and-down stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, he made a name for himself in New England, where effectively served as the team’s defensive coordinator en route to a Super Bowl LIII victory.
Flores could also be a candidate to become the new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator amid growing rumors that the current position holder, Matt Eberflus, is expected to be fired.
