Next week in Nashville, the NFL’s Coach Accelerator Program will take place in Nashville, Tennessee. This program is an initiative aimed at getting more diversity into the head coaching ranks, giving current coordinators and — for the first time this year — college coaches a chance to get familiar with the people behind the scenes pulling the strings.
This year there will be 27 participants in the program, including Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Flores was left out of the coaching carousel this season after rebuilding the Vikings defense into one of the better units in the league.
This initiative pairs with the NFL’s Front Office Accelerator program, which was held in December in Dallas. One of the participants in last year’s inaugural program, Ran Carthon, was hired from the San Francisco 49ers player personnel department to be the Tennessee Titans new general manager.
Flores’ participation in the program comes just three years after spending a three-year stint with the Miami Dolphins as their former head coach. It also comes off the heels of Flores’ lawsuit against the Dolphins, Giants, and the league itself, alleging unfair hiring and firing practices.
Whether or not the program results in Flores getting another shot at a head coaching gig remains to be seen, but getting more opportunities in front of league-wide decision makers should ultimately be a net positive for the Vikings coordinator.