Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has come under fire from Tua Tagovailoa, who called the former Miami Dolphins head coach a “terrible person.”
In an interview that aired August 19 on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” Tagovailoa, broke his silence on the difference between Flores and his current coach Mike McDaniel, who was instrumental in Tagovailoa making his first Pro Bowl last season.
“To put it in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be there, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this. Like, you are accurate, you are the best whatever, you are this, you are that,’ ” Tagovailoa said. “Like, how would it make you feel listening to one or the other?
“And then you hear it, you hear it. Regardless of what it is, the good or the bad. And you hear it more and more, you start to actually believe that. I don’t care who you are. You could be the president of the United States. If you have a terrible person that’s telling you things you don’t want to hear, or that you probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re gonna start to believe that about yourself.”
Tagovailoa had addressed the difference between McDaniel and Flores before but largely focused on the positives with McDaniel. With his future in Miami secured after signing a four-year, $212 million extension in July, Tagovailoa was noticeably more candid, explaining he was downtrodden for several seasons with Flores.
“It’s basically been two years of training that out of — not just me — but a couple of the guys that have been here, as well” Tagovailoa added.
Brian Flores’ Falling Out With the Dolphins Aligned With Tua Tagovailoa Pick
Flores’ dismissal after the 2021 season came as a surprise. He had a 19-14 record in his previous two seasons after the Dolphins did a full-scale rebuild in his first year at the helm in 2019.
In 2022, Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL, arguing he was subject to racial discrimination and that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to pay him to throw games during the 2019 season.
The Dolphins landing Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 draft was a product of that down year that was under investigation. A judge found in 2023 that there was no evidence to support Flores’ claims and that the lawsuit would have to go through arbitration.
However, there are accounts that Flores did not want Tagovailoa.
“During the 2021 season, Flores was fixated on trading for Deshaun Watson. It nearly happened before the season started,” Pro Football Talks’ Mike Florio wrote on August 19. “It contributed, we heard at the time, to Tua’s decision to decline a captain designation as Week 1 approached.”
Tagovailoa’s take on Flores could be called tough love or simply hard feelings the Dolphins’ head coach did not get his way. Whatever happened in Miami is evidence of what can go wrong when a front office and a coaching staff are not in lockstep.
Vikings Defense Poised for Breakout Season Under Brian Flores
Last season, Flores made waves with an innovative defense the NFL had never seen before — but this season could be his true breakout season as Vikings defensive coordinator.
Depth was the issue for the defense that fell apart in the final weeks of the 2023 season.
This offseason, the Vikings lost Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter in free agency but added Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and first-round pick Dallas Turner. All three edge rushers fit a more versatile mold of what Flores is looking for at the position.
The Vikings also added Minnesota native Blake Cashman at inside linebacker to replace veteran Jordan Hicks. Cashman will be alongside Ivan Pace Jr., who was the highest-graded rookie linebacker by Pro Football Focus after going undrafted in 2023.
The defensive line and cornerback group have not seen significant upgrades but have added depth pieces that can be relied on this season.
The signing of Stephon Gilmore on August 19 was the capstone for the defensive rehaul this offseason for a unit that could make a case to break into the top 10 defenses in the league.
