Off the top, the news of the New England Patriots working on a long-term contract with Jerod Mayo may seem utterly irrelevant to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there is a connection.
First, the facts. In a rare move, the Patriots announced they are working on a contract extension to keep him in New England. Mayo, the team’s linebackers coach, has been courted by several teams for head coaching and defensive coordinators positions. Rarely does a team pull this off much less announce it but the Pats seem to be spinning the PR story in their favor ahead of time.
So what does this have to do with Pittsburgh? One of the jobs Mayo interviewed for was the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator position, the same one Flores interviewed for earlier today. With Mayo seemingly out of the running, the Browns have one less option.
The Browns have three candidates ostensibly still in the running: the Titans’ Jim Schwartz, the Seahawks’ Sean Desai, and Flores. Based on reporting from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer and others, the most likely names to be hired are now Schwartz and Flores. In fact, Breer named Flores a favorite for the position.
There’s no word on when the Browns will announce their hire. Flores was today, Schwartz was yesterday, and Desai’s date – to my knowledge – is unknown. Perhaps tomorrow though Desai’s Seahawks are in the playoffs so it’s possible that interview doesn’t even happen until after this weekend if Seattle is eliminated. And maybe it won’t end up mattering. By Monday, the Browns may have made their decision, and right now, it’s a coin flip of that man being Flores. Really, the odds are favoring him. Years ago, Mayo and Flores were in New England together. Now, the fact Mayo is staying there may be the reason why Flores leaves Pittsburgh.
