He spent just one season working under Mike Tomlin, serving as the linebackers coach during the 2022 season. But that one season might have set him up for long-term success as the potential successor to Tomlin.

After Tomlin stepped down Tuesday, ending a 19-year run as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the franchise is in search of a new leader at head coach. They might not have to look far to get someone who fits their style in Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Flores is one of eight names the Steelers have requested interviews with at this point following Tomlin’s resignation. Though he is set to turn 45 years old in February, Flores brings head coaching experience to the table and has been a successful coordinator in the NFL across multiple stops.

Though the Steelers are likely to target a young, up-and-coming coordinator like they have in the past, Flores is a name to watch due to his connection to the Steelers. For CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan, Flores is the best fit for Pittsburgh in its coaching search.

“Flores would be a familiar face for the Steelers. The current Vikings DC worked under now former head coach Mike Tomlin in 2022 as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach after his tenure as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins ended in 2021,” Sullivan writes of Flores, according to CBSSports.com. “After that quick one-year stint in Pittsburgh, Flores moved on to Minnesota and has bolstered his reputation back up as one of the top defensive minds in the league, which feels like an ideal fit stylistically with the Steelers’ identity.”

Tomlin did Flores a favor for the 2022 season, giving him a chance to remain in the NFL coaching circle amid his lawsuit against the NFL citing discrimination in its head coaching search practices across the league.

In that one season in 2022, Flores helped the Steelers’ defense get some good linebacker play out of the likes of Myles Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane. One year later, he landed with the Vikings as the defensive coordinator, a role he’s held the last three years helping turn the Vikings into one of the better defenses in football.

Ahead of the Dublin matchup with the Vikings in Week 4, Tomlin expressed disappointment in being unable to retain Flores in Pittsburgh after just one season. Now, he might get a chance to circle back to Pittsburgh and take over for Tomlin.

We’ll see how he does in the interview process, but it remains to be seen if Flores would want the job, too, considering questions on the roster, particularly at quarterback. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini has doubts that Flores even gets the job. But quarterback will be a big sticking point.

“The big question for Flores as he looks for his second chance as an NFL head coach will be what Pittsburgh’s plans are at quarterback,” Sullivan adds of Flores. “Aaron Rodgers has alluded to this being his final season, so they’ll need an answer at the most important position in the sport. If he gets a clear enough answer there, working with former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt could be extremely appealing to him.”

Quarterback is the biggest concern for the Steelers. The impact of Watt is a major concern moving forward, too. The 31-year-old pass rusher had a poor year in 2025, recording just 7.0 sacks on the season and 46 pressures. He did miss three games with a fluke collapsed lung after a dry-needling treatment gone wrong at the facility late in the year. But that’s still T.J. Watt to work with, and a change into a new defensive scheme could do him wonders.

But the Steelers aren’t going anywhere without an answer at quarterback. That will be the biggest question. Still, Flores is an intriguing name to watch in the coaching search.