NFL Rumors: Brian Flores wanted Dolphins to draft Jordan Love instead of Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert

The Brian Flores era in Miami was filled with a ton of drama involving the head coach and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Miami drafted Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

According to a report from Miami Dolphins insider Omar Kelly, however, Flores never wanted Tagovailoa in the first place.

Kelly reported that nearly everyone in the Dolphins organization wanted Tagovailoa and even accused the team of tanking so they could have a high enough draft pick to select him. Flores reportedly didn't want Justin Herbert either, who was drafted by the LA Chargers at sixth overall directly after Tagovailoa.

Instead, Flores reportedly wanted to take an offensive tackle fifth overall, waiting until the 18th pick to select a quarterback. The quarterback Flores had in mind was Jordan Love, whom the Packers drafted 26th overall.

Miami allegedly opted not to do this, as it didn't want to take the risk of losing out on Love by waiting to select a quarterback later, the same way it lost Joe Flacco to the Baltimore Ravens in 2008.

Kelly claimed that Flores "abused" Tua, starting him early to prove that he wasn't ready yet and benching him in favor of Jacoby Brissett. Eventually, the relationship between Flores and Tagovailoa soured to the point where the quarterback reportedly went to the front office and told management, "It's him or me."

The organization, of course, chose to side with the quarterback, subsequently firing Flores.

Comparing the NFL runs of Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa thus far

NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins - Source: Imagn

Jordan Love was forced to sit on the bench behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons before getting his opportunity to lead the Packers. He got the chance to start his first full season in 2023 and led Green Bay to playoff appearances in his first two seasons as the full-time starting quarterback. Many consider Love one of the best young signal-callers in the league today.

As for Tua Tagovailoa, his career has been plagued by concussions since joining the NFL, and he has been forced to miss several games across the past several seasons as a result. It hasn't been all bad for Tagovailoa, however. He did manage to lead the NFL in passing yards in 2023 and also led the league in completion percentage last season.