MIAMI, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores Monday morning after he led the team to an 8-1 finish. The move, first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, caught the entire NFL out of the blue.
The Dolphins confirmed the move shortly after Schefter broke the news.
Statement from the Miami Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/Lh1WaAIRY9
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 10, 2022
While the Dolphins highlighted Flores' record of 24-25, he led the team to an 8-1 finish in 2021 and a 10-6 record in 2020. Flores won 19 games over the last two years, something the Fins had not done since 2003.
As the NFL world immediately began speculating the move was to clear a spot for Michigan's Jim Harbaugh to take over, ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported that wasn't the case.
The decision to fire Flores can be summed up with one word: Relationships. His relationship with Grier and Tua had deteriorated to a pretty bad place. Along with constant staff changes, owner Steve Ross no longer saw Flores as a healthy fit in Miami. https://t.co/9oRmk66hm9
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 10, 2022
The Dolphins have since let word out the team would be retaining General Manager Chris Grier. He and owner Stephen Ross will handle the head coaching search.
The firing of Flores leaves only the Houston Texans' David Culley and Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin as the only minority coaches in the National Football League. Flores will likely land another head coaching job quickly as he was well respected by players, according to multiple reports.
As for the Dolphins, their string of mediocrity doesn't show any signs of abating. The Dolphins' record since 2000 is 173-185; a winning % of .483 The last coach for the Dolphins to have consecutive winning seasons before Flores' 2020-2021 run was Dave Wannstedt in 2002-2003. Prior to 2003, the Fins only had 2 losing seasons dating to 1970.
