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With Brian Flores' racial discrimination lawsuit going to trial, many believe that the former Miami Dolphins head coach will fall victim to a Colin Kaepernick-like blackballing from the NFL. However, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes that he will soon find himself back in a head coaching position, along with Jon Gruden.
Smith believes that Flores and Gruden are both too talented to be overlooked by the league. While they each have their own issues, the outspoken host predicts that both coaches will soon be hired by struggling teams. Smith is particularly confident that Flores will be hired as a head coach shortly.
“There's no one that knows football, that has watched football, that will tell you that Brian Flores does not deserve to be a head coach in the NFL,” Smith said. “I believe that both Jon Gruden and Brian Flores will find themselves back in the NFL as head coaches… If you're smart, that's exactly what will happen. It's not to say that Jon Gruden is innocent and you're going to forget what those emails revealed. But the bottom line is that you've let people back in the league for doing worse. It shouldn't be a death sentence.
“In the case of Brian Flores, there is no excuse why this man is not a head coach in the NFL right now. How's life in Miami right now with Mike McDaniel? They can't win when the weather's 50 degrees or lower… Weather stops the Miami Dolphins from winning. That's in the Mike McDaniel era. That ain't in the Brian Flores era. That man can coach. That man deserves a job in the National Football League.”
"I believe that both Jon Gruden and Brian Flores will find themselves back in the NFL as head coaches."@stephenasmith shares his thoughts on Jon Gruden and Brian Flores ✍️ pic.twitter.com/wwfNTSat1D
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 15, 2025
Brian Flores, Jon Gruden continue to pursue HC opportunities
Since being fired from their most recent head coaching positions, Flores and Gruden have both continued to find success in different roles. Flores remained in the league, where he has since become a respected defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. Gruden has since returned to the media, recently inking a lucrative deal with Barstool Sports.
Both coaches continue to circle vacant head coaching jobs each year, although neither has been particularly close to securing one in recent years. Flores, who led the Dolphins to a winning season in two of his three years with the team, remains a particularly notable exclusion.
However, the ongoing lawsuit is a blatant asterisk. Flores' former players, namely Tua Tagovailoa, have not exactly given him glowing recommendations.
While Gruden is a former Super Bowl-winning coach, the dark mark of his career is much more damning than that of Flores. The league infamously discovered emails from Gruden to Washington Commanders executive Bruce Allen in which he used racist and homophobic slurs, many of which were directed at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Gruden, who was the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, resigned from his position.
