Brian Flores, Lovie Smith finalists for Houston

There’s a lot of love for Lovie in Houston.

With NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting that Josh McCown is “seemingly out” of the Texans’ head coaching search, Houston is left with two known candidates: former Dolphins coach Brian Flores and incumbent defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. 

According to reports, Smith, the longtime NFL defensive coordinator and former head coach of the Bears and Buccaneers, was a late entry in the candidacy of the open head coaching position in Houston, with McCown reportedly out of the running for the position.

The #Texans interviewed DC Lovie Smith for their head coaching job earlier tonight, source said. A new candidate enters the mix. Brian Flores also remains a candidate in Houston, as GM Nick Caserio goes through the process.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 7, 2022

MORE: Projecting all 32 starting QBs for the 2022 NFL season

Flores’ name attached to the candidacy for the opening is interesting, considering the Texans were a team named in his lawsuit against the NFL regarding racial discrimination. 

The lawsuit pegs Houston’s firing of David Culley after one season as one of the NFL’s injustices surrounding Black head coaches.

It’s also intriguing considering Flores reportedly is a favorite of Deshaun Watson, the Texans quarterback who sat out the entire 2021 season while dealing with legal issues.

Watson is still a subject of sexual harassment and assault allegations, which surfaced in 2021, months after he officially requested a trade from the Texans.

Smith returned to the NFL in 2021 after coaching in college at the University of Illinois between 2016 and 2020. He has a career 89-87 record as head coach, reaching the Super Bowl with the Bears in 2006.

Flores, who was fired after three years with the Dolphins, interviewed with the Giants, Texans and Bears earlier this offseason.

MORE: Everything you need to know about Brian Flores’ lawsuit against NFL