If Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is serious about winning a Super Bowl, he'll land Brian Flores to run his defense
The Dallas Cowboys' search for a new defensive coordinator presents owner Jerry Jones with a unique and revealing opportunity. Three converging facts define the moment: Jones possesses an estimated net worth of $20 billion, the NFL imposes no salary cap on coaching staffs, and one of the league's premier defensive minds, Brian Flores, is available as a free agent.
Jones has historically claimed a willingness to spend lavishly—even "embarrassingly"—to win a Super Bowl. The dismissal of coordinator Matt Eberflus, following a defensive performance that ranked among the worst in modern NFL history, creates the perfect scenario to act on that promise. With no cap implications, investing heavily in a coach offers a pure competitive advantage that costs nothing but money.
The Untapped Coaching Market
The financial landscape for top assistants remains surprisingly modest compared to player salaries. Last season's highest-paid coordinator, Chip Kelly, reportedly earned $6 million—one-tenth of quarterback Dak Prescott's annual compensation. Even the league's highest-paid head coach, Andy Reid, makes significantly less than his star players. This disparity exists despite the profound impact coaches have on performance and player development.
For an owner of Jones's means, this represents a strategic opening. Offering Flores a market-resetting contract—say, doubling the top coordinator salary to $12 million or more—would incur no roster-building penalty. It would be a direct investment in schematic excellence and leadership for a unit in desperate need of both.
The Flores Factor
Brian Flores has built a compelling case as the NFL's best defensive coordinator. Over three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, his units consistently ranked among the league's elite in advanced metrics like DVOA, achieving this with a modest number of Pro Bowl talents. His proven ability to maximize defensive output makes him an ideal candidate to overhaul the Cowboys' broken defense.
While Flores may pursue head coaching opportunities or choose to remain in Minnesota, a truly unprecedented financial offer from Dallas could alter that calculus. The question is whether Jones is prepared to make it.
A Test of Priorities
Historically, NFL owners have shown a collective reluctance to dramatically inflate the coaching market. Jones himself has not been known to pay top-of-market prices for assistants, despite his public proclamations about sparing no expense for a championship.
This coordinator search, therefore, becomes a litmus test. It challenges the sincerity of the owner's win-at-all-costs rhetoric against his established financial patterns. Paying a coordinator like a star player would be a bold, league-altering move that directly addresses a football need without hindering roster construction.
For a franchise and an owner defined by immense wealth and unfulfilled championship aspirations, the path to substantiating their ambitions is clear. They must decide if securing the best available coach is worth the price of an "embarrassing" check—or if maintaining the status quo among owners is the higher priority. The decision on Brian Flores will reveal the true answer.
