Remember back to the end of the 2019 NFL season when the Miami Dolphins, amid a 5-4 finish to their season, saw both of their coordinators leave despite having just one year of experience on the job? It was quite the odd time for the Dolphins’ coaching staff. In a time in which everyone should have been thrilled by the strong close to a rookie coach’s first season, everyone instead found themselves asking why the Dolphins, despite the late success, couldn’t maintain their coaches after that first season.
Each coordinator had a different story. For offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea, the issues reportedly stemmed from coaching style and the complexity of his offense for a group of first-time teammates. That did not appear to sit well with some on Flores’ team and, after the Week 17 win over the Patriots, the Dolphins bid him farewell.
But then there’s Patrick Graham. Graham, the defensive coordinator at the time, left to sign a deal with the New York Giants to become…the defensive coordinator. There was no promotion. No upgraded role and title. Graham simply left Miami to take a job in New York as the Giants’ defensive play caller.
It was an odd move at the time, but Graham has just given a clue as to why he felt compelled to make a change. As it turns out, Graham’s dream job is apparently the job he holds now; which is why he passed on interviewing for the New York Jets gig.
If Graham is to be believed, then no wonder he was willing to leave Miami even if it didn’t come with a promotion. It was instead a matter of personal preference and with this development, we can put to rest any speculation about trouble in Miami after the exodus of assistants from that first year under Brian Flores.