Personal opinion, the Texans would have hired Flores if not for the lawsuit. He was the first candidate they interviewed and was viewed as the favorite from early on. They even waited until after he was fired by Miami before firing Culley. Yes, they were very interested in McCown to the point that it might have been neck-and-neck between all three candidates but ultimately the perception of hiring a head coach with zero NFL coaching experience scared them off. Once Gannon, Flores, and McCown were no longer options, they decided to look internally and Lovie was the most qualified internal candidate. He was already their assistant head coach.