Brian Flores: I Want to Grow From Tua Situation; ‘Genuinely Happy’ for Dolphins QB

Adam WellsAugust 20, 2024

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Brian Flores has responded to the critical comments from Tua Tagovailoa about their relationship when he was head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Flores said that he’s “genuinely happy” for Tagovailoa’s success and that he needs to use the comments to learn to grow and be better going forward.

Jeff Wald @JeffWaldFox9Brian Flores on Tua calling him a “terrible person”:

“Look I’m human. That hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive. I’ve got to use that and say how can I grow from that? How can I be better?” #Vikings @FOX9 https://t.co/RCmZS77Fgy pic.twitter.com/hTSRvuOoFw

During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Dan LeBatard Show, Tagovailoa said Flores told him “that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do” when he was coaching the Dolphins.

Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz @LeBatardShow”If you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong, that you shouldn’t be here, that you haven’t earned this…

and then someone come and tells you, ‘You are the best fit for this…How you that make you feel?”

– @Tua describes the… pic.twitter.com/bBHI6IsVlj

This was the first time Tagovailoa acknowledged the dynamic with Flores, but there were indications that things weren’t always copacetic between the two.

Michael Lombardi said on The GM Shuffle podcast (h/t Zack Cox of NESN) in January 2022 that Flores wasn’t “shy” about speaking frankly to Tagovailoa.

“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.

“If I’d have knew you were going to be this bad, I would have picked Mac Jones,” Flores told his young quarterback, per Lombardi.

Flores was Miami’s head coach for three seasons from 2019 to ’21. Tagovailoa was drafted by the Dolphins in 2020 with the No. 5 overall pick. He struggled in his first two seasons, throwing for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 23 appearances.

Since Mike McDaniel was hired by the Dolphins in February 2022 after Flores was fired, Tagovailoa has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL. He has thrown for 8,172 yards, 54 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 30 games over the past two seasons.

Tagovailoa led the league with 4,624 passing yards in 2023. The Dolphins have made the playoffs in both seasons with McDaniel, matching their total number of postseason appearances from the previous 20 seasons combined.

The Dolphins rewarded Tagovailoa with a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July that keeps him with the organization through the 2028 season.

Flores went 24-25 as Miami’s head coach. He worked on Mike Tomlin’s staff with the Pittsburgh Steelers as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 2022. The 43-year-old is entering his second season as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.