As the Miami Dolphins aim to rebuild their roster for long-term success, they have shown a commitment to new head coach Brian Flores, who will oversee the likely arduous process.
Flores and the Dolphins agreed to a five-year, fully guaranteed deal, according to a Tuesday report by ESPN.
NFL head coaches typically get three- or four-year deals with an option for an additional season.
Although the Dolphins could terminate the deal prematurely, Miami's agreement with Flores shows they are committed to him and the progress they hope he can make in moving the Dolphins up in the AFC East and into the playoffs.
"I'm thankful that I'm a part of this organization now," Flores said Monday during his introductory news conference.
"We're going to do everything possible to win games and build the culture and build a winner here. I'll do everything in my power and work as hard as possible to make that happen."
Flores was introduced as Dolphins coach on Monday, one day after his New England Patriots' defense was key in winning Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta by stifling the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.
Flores, who has won four Super Bowls as an assistant coach, spoke about his desire to eventually become a head coach after helping the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX in 2014, but not being in a rush to pursue the opportunity.
Flores was concerned about a future head coaching job being "the right fit" for him, and having his vision and core beliefs of how to build a NFL team aligned with ownership and the front office's views.
Flores felt like those concerns were addressed during his interviews with the Dolphins brass, which included team owner Steve Ross and general manager Chris Grier.
"I think our vision and our core beliefs and our core philosophy of how to build a team, they were aligned," Flores said.
Flores spent 15 years in the Patriots organization in a number of roles, including scouting and as an assistant coach, most recently serving as the defensive play-caller without the title of defensive coordinator last season.
The Dolphins, who fired former coach Adam Gase on Dec. 31, hope to revamp their roster by building depth on the offensive and defensive lines and identifying a quarterback for the future.
It's a tremendous undertaking for a first-time NFL head coach.
The Dolphins have a 199-201 record since 1994 and have not won a playoff game since 2000. They have competed in the postseason just twice times since 2001. They have not won the AFC East since 2008.
Most important, they have not won a Super Bowl since winning back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973.
"It's about winning, but it's by looking to the long-term and making those decisions that will make the Miami Dolphins continually be a great football team and very competitive," Ross said.
Ross, Grier and the Dolphins hope Flores is the right coach to eventually achieve sustainable long-term success.
"I think you should have patience," Grier said. "We want to build this right. We don't want to go to the playoffs one year and then step back and everyone thinks, 'Oh, they're back,' and then you just keep trying to survive.
"We want to build this to where this is long-term and you can win for many years instead of trying to go year to year to fill spots to save jobs."
