Miami dismissed head coach Brian Flores on Monday following the Dolphins’ season-ending 33-24 win over New England.
Flores produced a 24-25 mark over three seasons despite falling just short of leading his teams to the playoffs.
Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross revealed that he didn’t see the growth he expected from his club in 2021, which faltered early before nearly riding a red-hot seven-game winning streak to a surprising postseason berth.
“I made a decision today to part ways with Brian Flores,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross stated in a statement from the team. “After analyzing where we are as an organization and what we need going forward to develop, I judged that critical elements of our football organization weren’t functioning at a level I want it to be and believed that this choice was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins. I feel we have a good young roster in place and have the opportunity to be much better in 2022. I want to thank Brian for his hard work and wish him nothing but the best in his future.”
Monday’s news may have been a product of a power struggle more than anything. Palpable frustration and tension between Flores and general manager Chris Grier essentially boiled over with Flores’ firing, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, with Ross choosing his head of player personnel over the coach his team once selected to attempt to lead the Dolphins out of the darkness that was the end of the Adam Gase era.
Even with the details presented above, the fire was a surprise. Flores got the position in 2019 with a Dolphins club that was very much in upheaval and seemed to just enhance the difficulties of its route back to relevance after Grier sold first-round tackle Laremy Tunsil to Houston and first-round safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh during Flores’ first season. Grier ended up investing those selections on lineman Austin Jackson, who went inside to guard in 2021 after struggling at tackle as a rookie, and defensive back Noah Igbinoghene, another top pick who hasn’t lived up to his expectations in his first two seasons.
Miami then surrendered the second first-round pick it acquired from Houston (2021) to move back from third overall to sixth, using it on prolific receiver Jaylen Waddle, Grier’s finest high draft pick to date.
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