Dolphins GM makes startling comment on decision to pick Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert

The firing of Brian Flores by the Miami Dolphins was a puzzling move to some of those who follow the team. All signs point to the decision on what to do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as the reason for his departure.

But before it even got this far, Dolphins GM Chris Grier and Flores had to choose between Tagovailoa and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

And, during a team press conference on Saturday, Grier was tasked with answering the awkward question of whether it was a mistake to pick the former Alabama quarterback over the former Oregon Duck.

“I don’t know. I leave that for you to judge. That day we went through our process with everyone. And it was a process, we felt good about Tua. There were a lot of things we liked about Tua; we like Justin too,” said Grier. “He’s a good player. We spend time with both players at the end of the day we chose Tua and we feel that we had a good player in the league. And he’s developing, we’re happy with where he’s that right now.”

Brian Flores and Deshaun Watson attempting team up

“Developing story: Deshaun Watson and Brian Flores have been in constant communication trying to navigate a scenario where they go to the same team,” stated veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. “Watson ‘trusts and likes’ Flores and has been adamant internally that he’d like to play for him next season.”

The news that Flores was out the Dolphins coach came as a shock after the end of the NFL regular season. Flores’ record over three seasons was 24-25 with back-to-back winning seasons. Flores oversaw two of Miami’s three winning seasons over the last decade, but failed to reach the playoffs during his tenure.

Watson’s future in the NFL became questionable after multiple sexual assault allegations were levied against him before the 2021 NFL season began. Houston made the decision to not play Watson during the entire season, making him a potential trade option across the league.

The most prominent attempt to secure a trade for Watson was from Miami and Flores. Reports indicated that Flores was extremely interested in building a winning team around the Houston star quarterback, despite having a young prospect already in Tua Tagovailoa.

With Flores no longer in Miami, the conversation to unite the two has not ended. The former coach will likely field job offers from multiple teams, and the hiring decision may likely hinge on the option to bring Watson into the fold wherever he ends up.