Miami Dolphins fire Brian Flores

In one of the biggest surprises of Black Monday, Brian Flores lost his job. The Miami Dolphins fired Flores, who was one of only two Latino coaches in the National Football League.

Flores, an Honduran American who was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., coached the Dolphins for the last three years. Flores’s firing leaves the Washington Football Team’s Ron Rivera as the lone Latino head coach in the NFL.

The Dolphins were 9-8 this season, finishing third in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots (10-7) and Buffalo Bills (11-6).

“I made a decision today to part ways with Brian Flores,” Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “After evaluating where we are as an organization and what we need going forward to improve, I determined that key dynamics of our football organization weren’t functioning at a level I want it to be and felt that this decision was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins.”

Third in AFC East not enough

Flores led the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over his three seasons as head coach. After a disappointing 5-11 season in his debut season to finish last in the AFC East, he posted his best record last year at 10-6.  Many experts thought Brian Flores did a good job this season.

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Unfortunately for Flores, the Dolphins’ second-place finish in the division wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs last year. Miami failed to reach the playoffs during Flores’ tenure, extending the Dolphins’ playoff drought to five seasons.

“I believe we have a talented young roster in place and have the opportunity to be much better in 2022,” Ross said. “I want to thank Brian for his hard work and wish him nothing but the best in his future.”

Brian Flores, one of two #Latino head coaches in the @NFL, has been fired by the @MiamiDolphins. pic.twitter.com/jIpPPzj19k

— Our Esquina (@OurEsquina) January 10, 2022

Brian Flores’ future may indeed be bright. 

Brian Flores shouldn’t be unemployed long

He is expected to be a prime candidate to replace one of the other victims of the NFL’s Black Monday. 

The Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings also fired their head coaches Monday morning. The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer a few weeks ago. Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden resigned in late October, but interim coach Rich Bisaccia may retain the job after leading the team to the playoffs.

According to several experts, Flores stands a good chance of landing one of the current openings. 

Baylor’s Aranda a name to watch

It may be too early, but Baylor University coach Dave Aranda may also be a good NFL candidate after leading the Bears to the Big 12 title in his second year in Waco, Texas.

Matt Rhule, Aranda’s predecessor at Baylor, was hired by the Carolina Panthers after leading the Bears to the Big 12 title game in 2019. Aranda’s name came up as a potential candidate for the USC and LSU jobs after the Bears won the Big 12 championship over Oklahoma State.

For now, though, Rivera remains the only Latino head coach in the NFL.

_{Featured photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images}