Tuesday, February 1, 2022, is another scar on the Miami Dolphins organization. Last Tuesday, former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 NFL teams. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fired Flores in January. In the lawsuit, Flores accuses Ross of offering him $100,000 for every game he lost in 2019. Consequently, the lawsuit adds to a long list of problems for the team in the past few years. Now, the Dolphins may no longer be attractive to free agents.
Miami Dolphins May No Longer Be Attractive to Free Agents
Controversy for the Dolphins is a plague. The 2019 season is known as the Tank for Tua season. That year, Dolphins won only five games. The losses were enough to attain the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was the selection. Since that time, spats about Tagovailoa’s selection among Dolphins fans on social media are the new normal for Dolphins fandom.
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Players Want a Trade
Also in 2019, former Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick asked for a trade. Fitzpatrick was unhappy with the lack of playing time and how he was being used for the team (He was asked to switch from safety to a different defensive position). Granting his request, Dolphins dealt Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2020 first-round draft pick. Because he was unhappy with his contract, Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard also asked for a trade in 2021. However, successful contract negotiations prior to the 2021 season were enough to keep Howard with the team.
Recently, Flores sabotaging Tagovailoa’s development is a new fan theory. The belief claims the hindrance is a result of Flores wanting to acquire Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Because of legal woes against Watson, the trade rumor divided fans.
Additionally, locker room division about Tagovailoa is a constant report. South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports came out in January about an unnamed player, who said he was wasting his career in Miami with Tagovailoa.
Now, Ross may be turning veteran free agents off to Miami. During a press conference, Ross praised General Manager Chris Grier for building a young roster. Ross also said that they once had an old aging roster which led the team to mediocrity. Those comments could be unappealing to older free agents.
All NFL teams have problems. But the Miami Dolphins have been filled with several problems for years. For that, Many Dolphins fans are even calling for Ross to sell the team.
The Miami Dolphins should be an attractive team. The South Florida sun and beaches should be attractive enough for most players. However, today the team has a stain. And those stains may make the Miami Dolphins no longer attractive to free agents.
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