For the second time, the Texans are interviewing former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores.
This time, Flores is in Houston to meet with Texans general manager Nick Caserio and other team officials, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Flores' first interview was via Zoom and was brief.
Flores' shared background with the New England Patriots with Caserio and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby are regarded as pluses for a potential match here as well as his successful track record.
Flores, 40, was a surprise firing after finishing 9-8 this season amidst reports of disagreements with general manager Chris Grier over personnel decisions, including drafting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He finished 24-25 in three seasons as a head coach, including a 10-6 record two seasons ago and 5-11 in his first year as a head coach.
The Dolphins went 9-8 after starting the season 1-7 and then going 8-1 in the second half of the season. The Dolphins were the first team in NFL history to lose seven consecutive games and win seven consecutive games in the same season.
"I've been looking at this over three years now and watching the organization grow," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said when Flores was dismissed. "And I think an organization can only function if it's collaborative, and it works well together. And I don't think that we were really working well as an organization that it would take to really win consistently at the NFL level."
Flores was the Patriots' defensive signal caller during a Super Bowl LIII championship victory over the Los Angeles Rams. He worked for the Patriots as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2018.
A Brooklyn, N.Y. native and a former Boston College linebacker, Flores has a long background and a strong relationship with Texans general manager Nick Caserio from their time together in New England. He joined the Patriots in 2004 as a 23-year-old scouting assistant before becoming a pro scout. He was promoted to the coaching staff in 2008 as a special-teams coaching assistant and then coached safeties and linebackers. He had the responsibilities, but not the title of defensive coordinator.
Flores went 4-2 against his former boss and mentor, Bill Belichick, for the most success against him of any coach facing him during that span.
"I am grateful most of all for the players, coaches and support staff who gave everything they had on a daily basis to help us win games," Flores said in a statement when he was fired by the Dolphins. "They deserve the credit for any success on the field, and it was the honor of a lifetime for me to go to work with them every day. I have always believed that leadership is really about service, and I did my best to serve the players, the staff and the organization every day. I believe in this team and will always value the relationships my family and I made here."
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