A few early Patriots-related thoughts as Black Monday — one of the worst days in the league — gets underway:
1. No surprise the Packers have requested to speak with Josh McDaniels for the vacant head coaching job. Given his experience interviewing out there last year, it’s also not a surprise Brian Flores also got a call. When it comes to Flores, my experience is this is more about him continuing to get his name out there so it’ll show he’s interested in a bigger job sooner rather than later. Ultimately, while he’ll continue to be part of the mix when it comes to head coaching conversations, I don’t think his time in Foxborough is quite done just yet. One other thing -- I know Flores is the defensive signal-caller and we remain big fans of him as a coach and person, but history tells us that making the leap from position coach to head coach can be one that's fraught with peril, at least in the early going. Wrote about some of that here last January.
2. I don’t think it would happen, but consider for a minute the possibility the Cardinals — who are expected to fire Steve Wilks on Monday — come calling on Flores again. He interviewed in Arizona last offseason, and made quite an impression on ownership. I know Arizona is a bit of a mess right now, but with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft and a franchise quarterback in Josh Rosen already in the fold, I wonder if Flores listens if the Cards make a run at him for the second consecutive offseason.
3. The Raiders’ decision to hire Mike Mayock for their vacant GM job is fascinating on a number of levels, but when it comes to New England, I’d imagine it means the Patriots-Raiders trade pipeline is back on. They were always a favorite trade partner of Bill Belichick — he made more trades with the Raiders than anyone between 2000 and when Al Davis died in 2011 — and given the depth of his relationship with Mayock, I’d expect Belichick and the Raiders to be open for business again moving forward. If that franchise is thinking about a rebuild, if I was New England, I’d take a hard look at some of their talent and see how it might fit in Foxborough. One other thing — with Mayock being an unapologetic Belichick fan, I’d wonder if he might be inclined to poach some coaching or front-office talent from New England. Something to keep an eye out for.
4. Tampa Bay is changing coaches, and while GM Jason Licht is a few years removed from his time in New England — he was director of player personnel with the Patriots from 2009 through 2011 — he might be another guy interested in either McDaniels or Flores. As of right now, I don't get a sense the Cincy or Denver jobs would be a fit for either one. But that doesn't mean the Broncos wouldn't be intrigued...
Broncos just requested permission to interview Patriots’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores for their HC job, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
