In one of the more stunning moves, just hours after the end of the 2021 regular season, the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores.
The team announced the move Monday morning with owner Stephen Ross saying the key dynamics of the football team "weren't functioning at a level I want it to be."
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"I believe we have a talented young roster in place and have the opportunity to be much better in 2022," Ross said in a statement. "I want to thank Brian for his hard work and wish him nothing but the best in the future."
Flores went 24-25 in his three seasons, with the Dolphins having back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021 — a first for the team since 2002 and 2003.
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“I've been looking at this over three years now and watching the organization grow," Ross said during a Monday news conference. “I think an organization can only function if it's collaborative and it works well together, and I don't think we were really working well as an organization... to win consistently at the NFL level."
It wasn't a total housecleaning: General Manager Chris Grier is being retained. Grier has been with the Dolphins for 22 years — the last six seasons as GM and the last three of those overseeing all football operations.
Florida later issued a statement to ESPN's Field Yates:
Miami went 9-8 this past season, including a seven-game win streak that followed a seven-game losing streak.
The Dolphins finished the season Sunday with a 33-24 win over the New England Patriots to sweep their rivals for the first time since the 2000 season.
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“The credit goes to the players, coaches,” Flores said after Sunday’s 33-24 win over New England, one that finished off the Dolphins’ first sweep of the Patriots since 2000. “I am always going to feel like and wish I could have done more. And our guys did work hard, from the players and coaches, obviously our support staff. It’s a special group. I’m happy, I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Flores was the 13th head coach in franchise history after spending 11 seasons with the Patriots organization.
The next Miami coach will be the team’s 11th since its most recent playoff victory on Dec. 30, 2000. Dave Wannstedt was the coach that day; the coaches that have followed, in order, were Jim Bates, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles, Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell, Adam Gase and Flores.
Ross is a Michigan graduate and the largest donor in that university’s history, and the Dolphins could look at Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh as one of the possible candidates to take over.
