Mike

McDaniel

It’s certain to be the first of several OC interview opportunities for McDaniel if he wants to go that route. With several head-coaching positions open, it wouldn’t be surprising if he wound up receiving an interview for one of the big chairs as well. We’ll see how quickly McDaniel wants to play this, but he’d be hard-pressed to find better weapons to work with than Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams.

The Dolphins are moving on from their head coach after four seasons, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. McDaniel met with owner Stephen Ross this week and Ross decided to move on from the 42-year-old coach despite his contract running through 2028. McDaniel’s Dolphins made the playoffs in his first two years, but were bounced in the Wild Card round each time and failed to make the playoffs each of the last two seasons. While the Dolphins held out the longest of any team that fired their coach so far, the writing was on the wall for McDaniel after a 1-6 start this season. There are now eight head coaching vacancies around the league. McDaniel could be a candidate for the Browns head coaching position, according to a previous report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, though an offensive coordinator position could also be an option for McDaniel.

Among the nine, only six teams actually have head-coaching vacancies at this time. The six teams in reference are the Giants, Titans, Falcons, Raiders, Browns and Cardinals. Regarding the remaining three, according to Vacchiano, “speculation around the league seems to have centered” on the Dolphins, Packers and Panthers. Last we heard, “signs continue to point towards Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel returning next season.” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is preparing his team for their third straight trip to the postseason, but “there has been an eerie feeling around the league that he might need to win a first-round game to be completely safe.” The Panthers are widely viewed as this year’s weakest playoff team, and owner David Tepper “is always a threat to swing again.” The Buccaneers were also thought to be in the mix before it was made known that head coach Todd Bowles is keeping his job for 2026.

“Who that is and what that looks like remains to be seen,” McDaniel elaborated. McDaniel, who also added that his understanding is that he is the Dolphins head coach until he is told otherwise, seems to believe there are options both inside and outside of the building that the Dolphins could turn to in 2026. The Dolphins finished out the year letting Quinn Ewers have the reins with Tua Tagovailoa a healthy scratch. Zach Wilson also received some run in Week 18 against the Patriots, though Wilson is an impending free agent. Without much in the way of cap space, the Dolphins might have to get creative at quarterback in 2026.

McDaniel, whose contract runs through 2028, has rebounded nicely this season. After a 1-6 start, the Dolphins have gone 6-3. The 42-year-old coach sacked quarterback Tua Tagoovailoa, who’s unlikely to play again for the Dolphins, according to Rapoport. Quinn Ewers showed some promise in his limited action. With McDaniel likely safe, the team is still looking for a new GM and has enlisted the services of Troy Aikman as a consultant. Coaching staff changes are also possible and the Dolphins will probably looking for a new quarterback as well, but have some stability with their head coach expected back.

10 days ago, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported McDaniel is expected to be back with the Dolphins. Fowler isn’t as sure, stating that while McDaniel has some support there, the team’s search for a new GM will be more about finding the best fit for the team rather than the best fit with McDaniel. Fowler even floats the idea that the Browns coaching position could come open by the team trading Kevin Stefanski to the Giants. While it’s all rumors and conjecture for now, the NFL’s coaching cycle will be in full force shortly after the final week of the regular season.

As expected, Rapoport notes Tua Tagovailoa is not expected to return in 2026. The Dolphins will either have to eat over $90 million in dead cap to cut Tua or find a trade partner. They would still be on the hook for many millions of dollars if that happens. McDaniel has seemingly gotten the most out of Tagovailoa during their time in Miami. Opposing defenses have simply figured out every adjustment McDaniel made to his offense. Now the experiment is at an end. Quinn Ewers will draw the start this week. Per Rapoport, McDaniel believes Ewers “is what this offense needs to run properly.” We’re skeptical of that, but a strong showing from the rookie would go a long way in keeping McDaniel on the good side of ownership as he looks to keep his job into 2026.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly wants to retain McDaniel as the team’s head coach for 2026. As Rapoport notes, “There is no bigger champion” of Tua than McDaniel. More importantly, the Dolphins would take on a cap hit of over $90 million if they cut their starting quarterback next year. That can be spread over two years with a post-June 1 designation, but it would still be extremely painful for the team. It’s possible Miami gets hot down the stretch and their season doesn’t go down as a total implosion, but there isn’t a path for this setup to contend for a Super Bowl anytime soon. Keeping Tua and McDaniel for another season would pointlessly delay the inevitable.

Rapoport almost immediately followed up with, “If the on-field product really suffers, however, and the players essentially stop playing for him, changes could be made prior to the end of the season.” At 2-7 with no hope in sight, it’s safe to say the on-field product is already suffering. The Dolphins let go of GM Chris Grier and Tua Tagovailoa could be benched at any point. There are only so many heads that can roll in Miami, and McDaniel is on the shortlist. The Dolphins appear destined for a full reset in 2026, even if they are put on a brave face and stick with McDaniel through the end of the year.

The Dolphins made the decision to part ways with GM Chris Grier on Friday as their first move toward a front office rebuild following a 2-7 start to the season. McDaniel seems unlikely to retain his job past this season, but owner Stephen Ross will decide on his future once the season has concluded. McDaniel’s team has struggled in ways that once felt unimaginable after going 20-14 during his first two seasons while leading a top-10 scoring offense in his first three. Despite the early success, the Dolphins offense has imploded this season, ranking near the bottom of the league in points per game, yards per game, and EPA per play.