Aaron Rodgers Drops Jaw-Dropping Truth About Brian Flores’ Shocking NFL Future After Steelers Stint: What’s Next for the Legendary Coach?
Veteran defensive assistant Brian Flores has regained his great reputation around the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers helped Flores do that in his lone season as the organization’s linebackers and senior defensive assistant.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t on that team. However, it’s clear the 41-year-old has a lot of respect for the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator.
So much respect, in fact, that Rodgers suggested it won’t be long before Flores is overqualified for his current gig.
“He’s a phenomenal coach,” Rodgers told reporters Wednesday.”He was here a few years ago.
“It’s good to see him in a position of leadership. I feel like he probably should, at some point, get another [head] coaching job based on the way that he’s coached defense last couple years.
“The schemes they run and the way they’re coached, there’s a lot of really good chemistry and continuity on that side that doesn’t just come from from players. There’s a schematic part of that. It’s really impressive.”
Rodgers and the Steelers offense will have to overcome the Vikings defensive chemistry and continuity Sunday. The two teams will meet in Dublin, Ireland at 9:30 am ET.
Brian Flores’ Previous Record as NFL Head Coach
What Rodgers said wasn’t controversial. Although it was complimentary, it’s rather standard for players to rave about upcoming opponents.
Three years ago, though, that would have been a different story. The Miami Dolphins fired Flores following the 2021 campaign, and the former head coach was unable to land another head coaching role.
Flores went 24-25 as the Dolphins head coach. While that mark isn’t overly impressive, he arguably led the team to an overachieving record in each of his first two seasons.
The Dolphins fired Flores despite two straight winning season to end his tenure. Miami moved on from Flores even though the coach led the franchise to at least nine games in back-to-back campaigns for the first time in nearly two decades.
“By all accounts, Flores and the 2019 Dolphins were set up for failure. That was the infamous “Tank for Tua” year that saw Miami trade several notable starters that included Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Kenyan Drake. Not surprisingly, the Dolphins started 0-7 and were being compared to some of the worst teams in NFL history,” wrote CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo.
“Miami, however, showed considerable resolve by winning five of its final nine times that included consecutive wins over Cincinnati in New England to close out the season.”
After the Dolphins fired Flores, the former head coach filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, Miami, and other teams in the league, alleging racial discrimination. Due to the lawsuit, it was unclear if Flores would get any job in the league again.
But he did immediately on Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh. That led to Flores earning the defensive coordinator role with the Vikings a year later.
Over the past three seasons, he has experienced a career revival in Minnesota.
Rodgers Looking for Better Performance vs. Flores Defense
In the early part of free agency, a lot of pundits projected Rodgers to join Flores and the Vikings. Instead, the veteran quarterback will be looking for a much better performance vs. the team than he had last year.
Ironically, Rodgers faced Flores and the Vikings in Europe during the 2024 campaign just as he will this Sunday. With the New York Jets, Rodgers struggled against Flores’s unit, completing only 29 of 54 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Rodgers posted a 53.7% completion percentage and only 4.5 yards per pass in the matchup.
That was arguably the turning point for Rodgers with the Jets last year. The loss to the Vikings in Week 5 dropped New York to 2-3. The team fired head coach Robert Salah after the defeat. New York then finished the season going 3-9 in their final 12 games.
Rodgers and the Steelers are 2-1 despite two below average offensive performances the past two weeks. But if the quarterback can be better this time against Flores, then Rodgers could have the opportunity to use the Vikings matchup as a turning point for the better in 2025.
Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Sends Clear Message on C.J. Gardner-Johnson Reunion
The Philadelphia Eagles secondary is banged up, and there suddenly is a player they know well available in C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Yet, coach Nick Sirianni is content with the players he has in his safeties room.
The Eagles head coach was asked about the team potentially bringing back Gardner-Johnson, who was released by the Houston Texans earlier this week and did not appear interested in bringing him back.
Gardner-Johnson won the Super Bowl with the Eagles in February and led the team in interceptions (6), finished fourth on the team in regular-season tackles (59) and had the second-most passes defended (12) in 2024.
Yet, he was traded to Houston in the off-season in what the team called a cost-saving measure.
Nick Sirianni ‘Excited About The’ Eagles Safeties
Gardner-Johnson has been an important member two Super Bowl teams for the Eagles, including last season’s team that won it all. He also had an NFL-high six INTs in 2022, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl before they lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yet, even despite that — and the injuries to cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Jakorian Bennett, the latter of whom was placed on injured reserve Wednesday — Sirianni effectively stated he was not interested in bringing Gardner-Johnson back, even though it would cost them nothing, asset-wise.
“I really am excited about the room that we have,” Sirianni said. “They’ve done a really nice job to date.”
Sirianni singled out rookie second-round pick Andrew Mukuba as a difference maker, who has filled in Gardner-Johnson’s shoes nicely — playing alongside mainstay Reed Blankenship.
Through three games, Mukuba has 13 tackles, one-half sack, an interception, one tackle for loss and one pass defended, earning the 27th-best safety grade from Pro-Football Focus (67.9).
“We have a good, young player in Andrew Mukuba, who continues to get better, and I think that having Reed next to him is helping him get better,” Sirianni said. “Just how Reed got better with having [veteran backup safety] Marcus Epps in the building, and Reed said that and I’ve said that in here before about Marcus Epps.”
Even Mukuba’s backup Sydney Brown has shown he belongs, since he has played 80 percent of the team’s special-teams snaps but also filled in by starting at safety for the Eagles in their season-opening win against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Sydney’s doing a really good job on special teams and doing some work on defense, as well,” Sirianni said. “I’m really excited about that group and pleased with that group.”
C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s Off-Season Comments May Have Burned A Bridge With The Eagles
Gardner-Johnson reportedly hastened his exit from Houston by speaking ill of his teammates, and the fact he is not being considered by the Eagles may also have something to do with comments he made this off-season.
In light of his departure from Philadelphia, Gardner-Johnson was outspoken against Eagles management, especially defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“I was a test dummy for them,” Gardner-Johnson shared on his Instagram story in June. “Now [Fangio] can be like ‘my scheme worked.’ Or did my skill set make it work?
“So yeah, let the salary cap be the ‘excuse.’”
Gardner-Johnson is obviously highly skilled yet his next team will be the fifth in as many seasons he has played for — including multiple stints with the Eagles. Some teams may just not want to deal with the headache.
