Miami Dolphins

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is suing the NFL and all 32 teams, alleging racial discrimination in the hiring process of coaches.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Flores alleged the Giants had settled on Brian Daboll as their head coach days before they were scheduled to interview him. He completed his in-person interview with the franchise last Thursday, and Daboll was officially named as the Giants' new coach two days later.

As part of the lawsuit, Flores included evidence that Bill Belichick mistakenly texted him days before his interview congratulating him on getting the job. 

"Sorry – I f--ked this up. I double checked and misread the text. I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB," the text read. 

The Giants released a statement in response saying Flores was "in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour." The team did not deny it had settled on Daboll before interviewing Flores but noted its "impressive and diverse group of candidates."

The NFL also issued a statement, saying: "The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations. Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”

Flores spent the previous three seasons as the Miami Dolphins' coach, going 24-25 before being fired. He led the franchise to back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021, marking the first time since 2002 and 2003 the Dolphins pulled off the feat.

While Flores' stellar job in Miami may have led to him being a candidate for other coaching opportunities—he's considered a candidate for the Houston Texans—the 40-year-old released a statement saying he was focused on the bigger picture of helping end racism in the NFL. 

"God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals," Flores said. "In making the decision to file the class action complaint, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love and has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come."

Flores said his tenure in Miami was consistently undermined by upper management, specifically owner Stephen Ross. According to the suit, Ross offered Flores $100,000 for each loss during the 2019 season to tank for draft position. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier allegedly informed Flores that Ross was "mad" for winning games and "compromising" the tanking effort. The Dolphins ultimately finished 5-11 and picked fifth in the 2020 draft.

Ross also allegedly attempted to force Flores to engage in tampering with an unnamed "prominent quarterback" in 2020. The Dolphins owner allegedly invited Flores to a dinner on his yacht that, upon arrival, Flores said he realized was supposed to serve as a clandestine meeting between the coach and quarterback. Flores said he declined the meeting, which would have constituted a violation of NFL tampering rules. 

"After the incident, Mr. Flores was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with," the lawsuit says. 

Flores said the incident led to the Dolphins smearing his name through leaked reports of personality conflicts behind the scenes. Jeff Darlington of ESPN reported Jan. 10 that Flores' relationship with Grier and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had "deteriorated." 

The Dolphins, Giants and Denver Broncos are named in the suit, while the other 29 teams are also included as "John Doe teams." Flores said the Broncos held what he described as a "sham" interview with him in 2019. The suit alleges then-general manager John Elway, president and chief executive officer Joe Ellis and other members of the front office showed up to Flores' interview an hour late and hungover.

"They looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had [been] drinking heavily the night before," the suit says.

The Broncos ultimately hired Vic Fangio as coach, with Flores saying his interview was only done to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one candidate from a historically excluded group for head-coaching and front-office positions.

There is currently only one Black coach in the NFL: Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Miami Dolphins have reportedly narrowed their list of head-coaching candidates to three offensive coordinators.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said the Dolphins will pick among Brian Daboll, Kellen Moore and Mike McDaniel. 

Per Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald, Dan Quinn, Leslie Frazier, Vance Joseph and Thomas Brown are among the other candidates the Dolphins spoke with during their first round of interviews. 

Rapaport reported Thursday that Miami's front office plans to conduct second interviews with the finalists next week.

All three finalists have seen their stock rise over the season, and Daboll and McDaniel have generated positive buzz based on how their teams (the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, respectively) have performed in the postseason.

Daboll has been the Bills' offensive coordinator since 2018. He has helped oversee the development of Josh Allen over the past four seasons. The Bills have had a top-eight offense by Football Outsiders' weighted DVOA in each of the past two seasons. 

McDaniel is in his first season as offensive coordinator for the 49ers, but he's been one of Kyle Shanahan's top assistants since he was hired as head coach in 2017. The 38-year-old spent the previous four years as their run-game coordinator. 

The 49ers averaged at least 118.1 rushing yards per game in three straight seasons from 2018 to 2020. Their offense ranked fifth in Football Outsiders' DVOA in 2021.  

Moore just finished his third season as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator. They had the top-ranked offense in the NFL by total yards (407 per game) and scoring (31.2 points per game).

The Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores after they finished third in the AFC East with a 9-8 record. They have posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2002-03 but haven't made the playoffs since 2016.

The New York Daily News' Pat Leonard reported Wednesday that Daboll has emerged as the favorite in the eyes of some to be hired by the Miami Dolphins.

The report comes two days after a similar report from SNY's Ralph Vacchiano that Daboll is "clearly the favorite" to succeed Joe Judge with the New York Giants.

It's probably not a coincidence the Dolphins and Giants both have quarterbacks who have failed to fully establish themselves as the long-term solution.

Josh Allen's transformation in 2020 isn't solely down to Daboll, but it did come under the coordinator's watch. Buffalo has also tailored its offense perfectly to suit Allen's skill set.

The Dolphins would presumably hire Daboll in the hope he can oversee a similar leap by Tua Tagovailoa.

In 23 appearances, Tagovailoa has thrown for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. Per Stathead, his 5.6 adjusted yards per attempt are 31st among players with at least 200 pass attempts over the past two years.

Through its pursuit of Deshaun Watson, Miami appeared to be ready to throw in the towel on Tagovailoa already. Firing Brian Flores as head coach might have changed the dynamic there because Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported Watson's high opinion of Flores was a "driving force" behind him preferring a move to South Florida.

Bringing Daboll aboard might be another way in which the Dolphins would show their hand about their quarterback plans given his past experience with Tagovailoa. He served as Alabama's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017, Tagovailoa's freshman year of college.

From Daboll's perspective, the Dolphins are arguably a more attractive landing spot than the Giants.

New York has to pull itself out of the hole former general manager Dave Gettleman dug for the organization through his failed personnel moves. Miami, on the other hand, might be in the midst of a five-year playoff drought but at least had a winning record in each of the last two seasons.

Granted, landing in the AFC East would pit Daboll against Allen and the Bills. Although the New England Patriots' dynasty is over, the path to a division title may not be that much easier for the Dolphins.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is considered to be one of the most popular head-coaching candidates this offseason, and he will reportedly be a busy man this week.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Quinn is scheduled to interview with the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears for their head coach vacancies.

In his first year with the Cowboys, Quinn led a defense that ranked seventh in the NFL, with opponents averaging 21.2 points per game. Dallas also led the league with 34 takeaways and a plus-14 turnover differential.

After putting together a 12-5 record, the Cowboys' season ended in disappointing fashion on Sunday in a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round. Dallas trailed for the entire game and allowed San Francisco to put up points in each of its first four drives. The Cowboys were called for 14 penalties, which tied for the most in franchise playoff history.

Before joining the Cowboys coaching staff, Quinn served as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for a little over five seasons. He helped lead the Falcons to an appearance in Super Bowl LI, but they lost to the New England Patriots after giving up a 28-3 lead. Quinn was fired after an 0-5 start to the 2020 season. 

One team that is reportedly high on Quinn is the Broncos. Sports Illustrated's Mike Fisher reported earlier this month that Quinn would be considered a "top candidate" in Denver or with the Seattle Seahawks if they parted ways with head coach Pete Carroll. The Seahawks are expected to retain Carroll for a 13th season.

Brian Daboll's history with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will reportedly be a "significant factor in his potential to merge with that job," according to Jason La Canfora. 

The Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator had the same role at Alabama in 2017 and helped recruit Tagovailoa to the school. Per La Canfora, "Daboll has known the quarterback since he was a teenager."

Despite numerous rumors in the past year that the Dolphins would trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, team owner Stephen Ross told reporters Monday the team would not pursue him and that he puts his support behind Tagovailoa. 

"I have a lot of confidence in Tua, and I think the next head coach will work with him. ... I have a lot of confidence in him," he said. "I've watched him grow. He's a fine young man. He is right now the quarterback and will be depended upon by the new head coach, but I have a lot of confidence in Tua."

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Tagovailoa is "expected" to be the quarterback next season, adding that the "organization's belief in him as their starter is considered significant, and it appears the search for a flashy replacement is over."

Former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores reportedly didn't share that belief. Per La Canfora, "the relationship between Flores and his quarterback was not strong, and there was also a heavy backlash from many in the locker room back as early as 2020 about how Flores was handling the then-rookie passer."

La Canfora added that Flores was a major proponent of acquiring Watson. 

The 23-year-old Tagovailoa hasn't exactly seized the role. This past season he threw for just 2,653 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 appearances (12 starts), completing 67.8 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns, and the Dolphins were a solid 7-5 in his starts. They were 6-3 in his starts in 2020. 

So while Tagovailoa's stats haven't exactly jumped off the page and don't compare favorably to Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, fellow first-round quarterback selections in the 2020 draft, the Dolphins are clearly committed to him. 

And Daboll, who has helped Josh Allen thrive in Buffalo and has a background with Tagovailoa, would certainly be a logical target for the team. 

The Miami Dolphins are reportedly moving on from the idea of acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the chances of the Dolphins trading for Watson are "greatly diminished, if not gone" now that Brian Flores has been fired as head coach.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added that the Dolphins organization believes in Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, and he will be the starter in 2022 "barring some sort of unforeseen occurrence."

Miami was among the teams linked to Watson as a potential trade destination throughout the 2021 season, but there reportedly wasn't organization-wide interest in the move.

Schefter reported that it was Flores who wanted to explore a trade for Watson, while owner Stephen Ross was against it.

Conversely, ProFootballTalk reported that someone with knowledge of the situation said Ross was "obsessed" with the idea of trading for Watson.

Watson did not play at all in 2021. He requested a trade out of Houston in the offseason and then faced 24 allegations of sexual misconduct or assault from women he hired to perform massages, including 22 civil lawsuits and 10 police investigations.

Watson is set to be deposed in the civil lawsuits in February.

The 26-year-old Watson is among the top signal-callers in the NFL, with three Pro Bowl nods in four seasons.

The Texans only managed to finish 4-12 last season, but Watson enjoyed the best year of his career statistically, completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions while also rushing for 444 yards and three scores.

Watson led the Texans to the playoffs twice in his four seasons, beating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round in 2019 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.

While Watson is an elite talent, trading with him would come with risk due to the possibility of him facing league discipline or perhaps even jail time.

Instead, reports suggest Miami will roll with Tua, whom the Dolphins selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

As a rookie, Tagovailoa split time as the starter with Ryan Fitzpatrick and posted a 6-3 record for a Dolphins team that narrowly missed the playoffs despite going 10-6.

Expectations were sky-high for the Dolphins entering 2021, but a seven-game losing streak threw them off track. Miami became the first team in NFL history to have seven-game losing and winning streaks in the same season.

Ultimately, a loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17 ended the Dolphins' playoff hopes, but they finished the season on a high note by beating the New England Patriots 33-24 in Week 18 to complete a 9-8 season.

All told, Tua went 7-5 as a starter and completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 2,653 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while also rushing for 128 yards and three scores.

In 2022, the Dolphins will look to gain ground on the Bills and Patriots, who both finished ahead of them in the AFC East in 2021.

It appears former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is hoping to stay on the East Coast for his next coaching gig. 

Flores would reportedly prioritize the New York Giants head coaching position "at or near the top of his list," per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Giants owner John Mara also reportedly “respects and likes Flores,” Schultz adds. 

Flores, a Brooklyn native, would replace Joe Judge if he were to head to New York. The Giants fired Judge on Tuesday after two seasons. He compiled a 10-23 record. 

Flores, meanwhile, was fired by the Dolphins on Monday after three seasons. It was somewhat of a surprise after he had led the team to two straight winning seasons for the first time since the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

The 40-year-old went 24-25 in Miami, and everything appeared to be going smoothly, but things reportedly weren't what they seemed. Before he was fired, Flores reportedly wanted more authority over general manager Chris Grier, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, and wanted more people to report to him.

In addition, Jackson reported some players thought Flores was arrogant, had a "bristling personality" and was hard to approach. Michael Lombardi later reported on the GM Shuffle podcast that there was a rift between Flores and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Flores reportedly made it known to Tagovailoa that he would have preferred New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones as his QB. 

However, it's important to note that Lombardi has since walked back on those comments via social media.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also reported there was built-up frustration between Flores and Grier, and team owner Stephen Ross decided to side with his general manager, parting with the head coach instead. 

In addition to the Giants, Flores has also been linked to the Houston Texans and is expected to generate plenty of interest around the league. The Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears are also looking for a head coach. 

The Giants will not hire a new head coach until they have filled their vacant general manager position, Mara said in a statement earlier this week. The new GM will lead the team's head coaching search.  

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo are reportedly among the top candidates to replace David Culley as head coach of the Houston Texans, per Texans insider Aaron Wilson and ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The Texans fired Culley on Thursday after just one season. Houston finished third in the AFC South with a 4-13 record. 

The Texans' interest in Flores should come as no surprise. The 40-year-old has connections with executive Jack Easterby and general manager Nick Caserio from their time with the New England Patriots.

Flores rose through the coaching ranks in New England from 2008-18 and ultimately became the franchise's defensive coordinator before becoming Miami's head coach in 2019. 

The Dolphins fired Flores on Monday after three seasons. It was a surprising move out of Miami after he had led the team to two straight winning seasons for the first time since the 2002 and 2003 seasons. 

Flores compiled a 24-25 record in his tenure with the Dolphins, and it appeared he had a great relationship with the organization. However, several reports since his firing have made it seem otherwise. 

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Flores reportedly wanted authority over general manager Chris Grier before his firing. He also reportedly wanted the final say on "virtually everything" and "more people to report to him." 

In addition, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that "frustration and tension" between Flores and Grier was a major issue. Team owner Stephen Ross ultimately decided to side with Grier. 

Jackson also noted that while many players liked Flores, some thought he was arrogant and had a "bristling personality." They believed he wasn't approachable and that it "was hard to read him."

Then came a report on Thursday that highlighted a potential rift between Flores and his players, specifically quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Michael Lombardi reported on the GM Shuffle podcast that Flores made it known to Tagovailoa that he would have preferred fellow Alabama alum Mac Jones as his QB. 

"I don't think [Brian] Flores was shy about telling [Tagovailoa], 'Hey, I should have picked Mac Jones.' I don't think he was shy about telling him that. In fact, I know that he wasn't," Lombardi said. 

In terms of Flores' fit in Houston, the Texans might be hoping hiring the former Dolphins head coach will help keep disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson with the team. Watson has wanted out of Houston since before the 2021 season, which he sat out, but there has been plenty of speculation that the Clemson product wanted to be traded to the Dolphins to play under Flores. 

A coaching change probably won't be enough to keep Watson in Houston, but Flores is arguably one of the best head coaching candidates on the market, so the franchise would be in good hands moving forward regardless.

As for Mayo, he also has connections to Houston given his relationship with Easterby and Caserio. The 35-year-old spent his entire eight-year playing career in New England from 2008-15 before joining the organization as a coach in 2019. 

And while Mayo has no head coaching experience, he is also drawing interest from the Denver Broncos for their vacant HC position after firing Vic Fangio on Sunday. Mayo also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles head coaching position last year before they hired Nick Sirianni. 

The Texans have not had a winning season since 2019 and have won just four games in each of their last two seasons. In addition to Flores and Mayo, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is among the Texans' top candidates, per Wilson. 

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores reportedly ripped Tua Tagovailoa to his face, noting he preferred fellow Alabama quarterback Mac Jones instead.

"I don't think [Brian] Flores was shy about telling [Tagovailoa], 'Hey, I should have picked Mac Jones.' I don't think he was shy about telling him that. In fact, I know that he wasn't," Michael Lombardi said on The GM Shuffle podcast (h/t Zack Cox of NESN).

Lombardi—a former NFL executive with several teams, including the New England Patriots—said Flores directly criticized Tagovailoa in a conversation during the regular season.

"If I'd have knew you were going to be this bad, I would have picked Mac Jones," Flores told the quarterback, according to Lombardi.

Flores was fired Monday despite a 9-8 record this season and 19 wins over the last two years in Miami.

Tagovailoa was selected No. 5 overall in the 2020 draft and has been up-and-down ever since, totaling 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 23 games.

Miami ended the season with a dramatic turnaround that featured eight wins in the final nine games, but Tagovailoa still only had nine passing touchdowns in eight games during that span.

The 23-year-old sat behind Ryan Fitzpatrick for part of his rookie season and was benched again after he took over the starting job.

Miami could have upgraded at quarterback in the offseason with the No. 3 overall pick, but the team instead traded back and selected receiver Jaylen Waddle with the sixth pick.

Justin Fields (No. 11) and Mac Jones (No. 15) were taken after the Dolphins made their pick.

Jones has especially impressed with the Patriots, where Flores spent 15 seasons before landing Miami's head coaching job. The rookie quarterback finished the year with 3,801 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in 17 starts, helping New England to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.

It's hard to tell if the Dolphins would have been better off with Jones under center, but Flores' blunt nature in dealing with Tagovailoa might have damaged his reputation within the locker room and front office.