Following the 2021 season, the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores after three seasons with the team.
At the time, the move was controversial despite the Dolphins having never reached the postseason during Flores’ tenure. However, even though the team did not have postseason success, the Dolphins did undergo a successful turnaround with Flores.
Prior to the 2019 season, when Flores was hired, the Dolphins underwent a roster teardown, which was similar to the one they did in 2026. As a result, Miami started the season 0-7, but managed to go 5-4 down the stretch. In 2020, Miami improved to 10-6, but narrowly missed out on the postseason. Finally, his 2021 season was filled with ups and downs. Miami started the season off 1-7, but managed to win eight of their final nine games to finish with a winning season for the second consecutive season.
After he was fired, Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the Miami Dolphins and the NFL. Flores, who now serves as the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, will face off against the Dolphins for the second time since being fired from the team. Ahead of Sunday’s game, Flores has shared his thoughts.
Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores Sends Clear Message Before Week 4
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said of facing his former team, “I’m actually excited to see some people. They’ve got a great support staff… there’s a lot of people there I had great relationships with.”
Flores seemingly downplayed his animosity for the Dolphins; however, one former Dolphins player who played for Flores seems to believe Miami’s former head coach won’t be friendly with the Dolphins on Sunday.
Former Miami Dolphins defensive back Jason McCourty said, “I was in the building when Miami fired [Flores]… he wants to whoop their you know what.”
Regarding the Dolphins facing off against Flores, Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart wrote: “Facing former head coach Brian Flores obviously will be among the biggest storylines for the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, but there are a lot more significant ramifications to the reunion.
For the Dolphins, how they can deal with Flores’ blitz-crazy approach could end up being the biggest factor in whether they can record their first victory of the season with an upset of the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Through the first three weeks of the 2026 regular season, the Vikings lead the NFL in just about every category related to blitzes and quarterback pressures.”
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Comments on Brian Flores
Regarding Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said, “I think he’s a great play caller and he’s done a tremendous job there.”
When asked about Flores’ scheme, Hafley replied, “I think what he’s done a really good job and what they’ve done a really good job is they have a lot of veteran players that have played in the system that are really good at communicating and checking and talk to one another. I think the older you get and the more experience you get with guys, you can start to build it and do more and more because there’s so much communication that goes into that. I think what he’s done is he’s gotten a group of guys at each position who he’s got smart guys, he’s got good communicators, he’s got really good coaches and they can kind of piece it all together. I think that’s really important when you look at scheme.”
Brian Flores Sends Clear Message Before Dolphins Game