Brian Flores' Arizona Cardinals next coach speculation, odds heat up: 'The buzz is real'

Could Brian Flores be the next coach of the Arizona Cardinals?

He appears to be the favorite, according to the latest odds and speculation surrounding the team's coaching search to find a replacement for Kliff Kingsbury.

In DraftKings' latest odds, Flores, the former Miami Dolphins head coach and current defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has started to separate himself from the pack of front-runners to be the Cardinals' next coach.

It lists Flores as +150 to become Arizona's coach, ahead of former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton at +350.

Current Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is at +500, followed by San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans at +700.

Shane Bowen, the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, rounds out the Top 5 at +900.

Earlier this week, DraftKings had Flores tied with Payton at +350 in its odds to become the next Arizona Cardinals coach.

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The Flores to Cardinals speculation appears to be intensifying.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently wrote that he thinks "the buzz around Flores and this job is real."

"The Cardinals could go defense this time around, and Vance Joseph, Brian Flores and DeMeco Ryans are part of the focus," Fowler wrote. All three will get their shot to win it. After asking around, I do think the buzz around Flores and this job is real. There's some traction, but it's still early."

Fansided examined whether Flores would be a good hire for the Cardinals.

Sion Fawkes wrote: "While both the offense and defense struggled, the latter is farther ahead given the bright, young nucleus with solid names like Marco Wilson, Isaiah Simmons, Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Zaven Collins, and some have even added Myjai Sanders and Cameron Thomas to that list. Zach Allen and Byron Murphy Jr. can also be there if they re-sign. This is ironically why Flores would also be a good candidate for the Cardinals: He could help maximize this young defense’s strengths. Given the young pieces in place and the improvement many of them showed this past season, despite the bleak outing, a coach like Flores would work wonders for the defense."

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First and Pen detailed why Arizona needs to hire Flores as its next head coach.

Yussuf Khan wrote: "Flores is a proven and qualified head coach. He cemented that after cleaning up Adam Gase’s mess in his first season with the Dolphins and then led them to back-to-back winning seasons before he was shockingly fired in January 2022. Flores stabilized Miami’s locker room and won games despite not having the talent-loaded roster that first-year head coach Mike McDaniel had this past season. And that was a team Flores deserved to coach."

The Cardinals have requested permission to speak with Flores, according to reports.

Flores went 24-25 in three seasons as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21.

He was with the New England Patriots from 2004-18, spending time in a variety of roles, including scouting assistant, pro scout, special teams assistant, special teams coach, defensive assistant, safeties coach and linebackers coach.

Could he be the next coach of the Arizona Cardinals?

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More:Arizona Cardinals' next coach odds: Brian Flores surges in odds to replace Kliff Kingsbury

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brian Flores' Arizona Cardinals next coach speculation, odds heat up