Miami Dolphins give Brian Flores five year fully guaranteed contract

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross needs the Brian Flores hire to work and he is banking on it. Literally. Flores’ contract is fully guaranteed.

For the Miami Dolphins five years is a long time and they are hoping that after the first two years that Brian Flores’ team has reached the right direction. Committing to a fully guaranteed five-year contract, Ross is putting his money where his hopes are.

The contract is a risk that Ross hopes pays off in the end but it doesn’t come without a lost of risk. Flores has never been a head coach before and speculation over his coaching hires points to coaches who have never been coordinators before. It is just money though. Stephen Ross’ money.

The fact that the full contract is guaranteed does not mean that Flores will see all five years. He will get paid for five but he may not survive until five. While Stephen Ross has decided that throwing money away on high-priced aging veteran players is now considered a waste of money and cap space, throwing money at coaches won’t restrict the teams cap.

Ross likes to spend his money on his team and at least this way he can feel as though he is throwing money into the team. In previous years Adam Gase and Joe Philbin did not receive fully guaranteed contracts.

While it is a bit surprising that the Dolphins didn’t make a similar deal with Flores for a four-year deal with an option, it really doesn’t matter because while the contract is guaranteed the five years is not.

Regardless Ross is showing that he is prepared to see this re-build through. In reality the 2019 and 2020 seasons should not come with high expectations. The Dolphins will be young, they will compete but they probably won’t win many games. That is two years of this deal.

In year three things should start to turn around and by year four Miami should be challenging for the division and the playoffs. Year five, they should be ready to go deeper in the playoffs and the future that Brian Flores and Chris Grier have envisioned should be a reality.

Looking back on the Stephen Ross coaching hires and contracts, Flores’ deal makes a lot more sense given the direction the team is going and it provides Flores the kind of security he needs given the fact he is taking over a team that is transitioning.

More from Phin Phanatic

• Tua Tagovailoa practicing with teammates is everything a leader does
• 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
• Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
• 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
• Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal

In 2010 Ross gave Tony Sparano an extension after the Jim Harbaugh saga. He should have fired him that off-season. Instead he guaranteed the deal for two years and fired him midway through the first year of that contract. In 2014 Joe Philbin was on his way out of Miami until a late season meaningless win against the Vikings spurned Ross to give Philbin the fourth year of his contract. Philbin rewarded Ross with two consecutive losses to end the season. He was fired midway through the next year.

When Adam Gase was hired Stephen Ross stood at the podium and said, “When a Michigan man hires a Michigan State man to be the head coach you know you have the right guy”. He might have but Gase’s ego got in the way of that. Had it not, Gase would enter his 4th year as the head coach but instead he was fired because he couldn’t play nice with others.

Flores may or may not make it to the 5th season but he should make it to number four. If after three years there is no progress and the Dolphins are doormats of the league, he won’t see five. At least he will be paid for it.

If Ross does let this play out for five years Flores will have every chance to build this team with a new quarterback, new systems, and a new vision.