Giants head coaching job “at the top” of Brian Flores’ list, per report

The New York Giants are only just beginning their search for a general manager, and John Mara has already said that the new GM would lead the search for the head coach. But that hasn’t stopped fans and the media from speculating about who could — or should — be the next head coach of the Giants.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz is reporting that Brian Flores, already one of the most popular names being floated around, could be a legitimate candidate.

Raptor’s Thoughts

The Giants have long been considered one of those franchises that anyone with the opportunity would want to work for. The shine has worn off the Big Blue Apple over the last few seasons, but the Giants are still an organization with a ton of cache in NFL circles.

When we started considering in December whether or not Joe Judge would be fired after the catastrophic end to the 2021 season, Flores was in no way considered a candidate for the position. After all, the Miami Dolphins had gone from a bad, losing team to a winners on the cusp of the post-season. They’ve added talent over the last three years, but much of their progress was due to head coach Brian Flores.

It as unthinkable that he would be available in 2022. Of course, the Dolphins shocked the NFL world and fired him the day after he beat the New England Patriots, denying them the AFC East crown.

Now that he is available, and the job is open, I am not at all surprised that Flores would be (very) interested in the Giants’ head coaching job. He’s a native New Yorker who grew up as a Giants fan in Brooklyn. He then spent from 2008 to 2018 on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff. And while that might give fans some pause, Belichick still (reportedly) has a soft spot in his heart for the Giants’ organization and speaks well of it.

Likewise, I’m not at all surprised that John Mara likes and respects Flores. He was well-respected when he was on the New England coaching staff, and it’s hard to not respect the work he did with the Miami Dolphins.

Both Ed and I included Flores in our lists of head coaching candidates. And from a purely “Giants” perspective, hiring Flores would mean a chance to keep Patrick Graham for another season.

Hiring Flores isn’t a slam dunk, however. One of the challenges of hiring a defensive-minded head coach is that he has to absolutely nail the offensive coordinator position. Frankly, offensive football is more consistent and just plain more important than defensive football in the modern NFL. If the Giants want to be consistently competitive, they need to field an offense that can be functional, and competitive, in the context of the modern NFL.

There’s also the questions about intangibles. Flores was reportedly fired over power struggles and personality conflicts. I can’t speak to that, but whoever the new GM hires needs to not only be a great coach, but also someone with whom the GM shares a vision and can work.

I don’t know that that isn’t Flores, but it needs to be a consideration.

I do know that I certainly won’t be upset if Flores is the hire.