Brian Flores: 5 potential landing spots for fired Miami Dolphins head coach
The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores on Monday morning in one of the more shocking developments of the NFL coaching carousel.
Widely regarded in the NFL as a promising young head coach, Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons leading the Dolphins, a superior record to his predecessors Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, who finished 24-28 and 23-25, respectively.
After a 1-7 start to the 2021-22 season, Flores led the Dolphins to seven straight wins and completed a season sweep of Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, Miami's first since 2000.
Flores' shocking dismissal will make the 40-year-old coach a hot commodity in the hiring pool, potentially even for head coaching jobs. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Flores is expected to be a "prime candidate" for head coaching consideration elsewhere this cycle.
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Here are five potential landing spots for the former Dolphins head coach:
Chicago Bears
The Bears cleaned house on Monday morning with the firing of general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy after a 6-11 finish.
Despite the Bears drafting first-round quarterbacks twice in the last five seasons, the offensive-minded Nagy struggled to develop the Bears' offense with Justin Fields and Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears could look to a philosophy change in their next hire with Flores, a former Patriots' defensive assistant,
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings also ushered in regime change with the firing of head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
Zimmer's Vikings fielded one of the league's most talented offenses in recent years with players like running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
Minnesota's defense plummeted statistically in recent seasons, however, ultimately costing the defensive-minded Zimmer his position. Flores could be viewed as a potential solution to the Vikings' defensive struggles.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos got a jump on the week's coaching carousel by firing head coach Vic Fangio on Sunday after Denver finished at 7-10.
While Fangio managed to field a strong defense with Denver, the Broncos were never able to settle the quarterback question that has plagued the franchise since Peyton Manning's 2015 retirement.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars dumped head coach Urban Meyer after less than one full season as head coach due to a string of embarrassing scandals surrounding the franchise.
Jacksonville selected highly-touted quarterback Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Jaguars will once again have the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after finishing 3-14 this season.
Renowned for his leadership and relationship with players, Flores could help mend a locker room and franchise scarred by the scandals of 2021.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are headed to the NFL playoffs after Sunday night's win over the Los Angeles Chargers despite firing head coach Jon Gruden last fall.
Gruden was fired in October after a slew of controversial e-mails surfaced including homophobic slurs and racial stereotypes of NFL figures.
Miami Dolphins All-Time Head Coaches
George Wilson, 1966-69 (15-39-2)
Don Shula, 1970-95 (274-147-2)
Jimmy Johnson, 1996-99 (38-31)
Dave Wannstedt, 2000-04 (43-33)
Nick Saban, 2005-06 (15-17)
Cam Cameron, 2007 (1-15)
Tony Sparano, 2008-11 (29-33)
Joe Philbin, 2012-15 (24-28)
Adam Gase, 2016-18 (23-25)
Brian Flores, 2019-21 (24-25)
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brian Flores: 5 potential landing spots for fired Miami Dolphins coach
