The Miami Dolphins named Mike McDaniel head coach in February 2022, replacing Brian Flores, who was fired after three seasons. McDaniel has the Dolphins off to a fast start in his second season after going 9-8 and making the playoffs in 2022.
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What Was Brian Flores’ Record as Miami Dolphins Head Coach?
Flores had a 24-25 record in three seasons, leading the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021. His best season was a 10-6 year in 2020, but Miami missed a chance to make the playoffs in the last week of the season. The Dolphins had a chance to clinch a postseason berth with a win but lost 56-26 against the Buffalo Bills.
MORE: Tua Tagovailoa Discusses Playing for Ex-Miami Dolphins Coach Brian Flores
In his third season in Miami, Flores led the team to a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs after there were a number of questions about who Flores wanted to be the team’s quarterback. There were rumblings of conflict between Flores and starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was drafted fifth overall in 2020, as the Dolphins looked at trading for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Flores’ Lawsuit Against the NFL
After being fired, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, along with the Dolphins, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos, for alleged racial discrimination in hiring practices. The Houston Texans were later added to the lawsuit, and two other assistant coaches, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, joined Flores’ case.
Flores also claimed owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 for every loss during the 2019 season in an effort to improve the team’s draft position. An independent investigation found Miami did not intentionally lose games, and neither Ross nor anyone with the team instructed Flores to do so.
The NFL did state that “on a number of occasions during the 2019 season, Mr. Ross expressed his belief that the Dolphins’ position in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft should take priority over the team’s win-loss record.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Flores to be the linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant for the 2022 season. The NFL asked that the lawsuit be dismissed and moved to the league’s arbitration process after Flores accepted the job, but Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York denied the claim in March.
She cited that the copy of the Flores contract with the Steelers had a signature line for commissioner Roger Goodell that was blank, and the document was not valid and binding unless all parties signed.
At the same time, Caproni ruled Flores’ claims against the Dolphins must go through the arbitration process, but his lawsuit against the league, the Giants, Texans, and Broncos would be able to proceed. No start date for the trial has been determined.
Flores is in his first season as the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator.