MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel Thursday following a 7-10 season, closing the book on a sharp collapse for what was once one of the NFL's most promising teams.
The Dolphins started the 2025 season by losing seven of their first nine games, but rebounded nicely with a four-game winning streak entering a Week 15 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But Miami lost its next two games to seal its second consecutive losing season.
The team parted ways with general manager Chris Grier at the end of October and have now completely cleaned house with McDaniel fired.
Two years ago, the Dolphins led the Buffalo Bills by three games in December and were in contention for the AFC's No. 1 seed. But then Miami blew a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of a "Monday Night Football" loss to the Tennessee Titans and things were never the same. The Bills won five straight games en route to their fourth straight AFC East title, while the Dolphins lost three of their final five games of the season, losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City in the wild-card round.
Since that loss to Tennessee, the Dolphins are 17-21. Despite high-profile roster moves over the past four years, such as trading for Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, Jalen Ramsey and Chase Claypool, and signing Terron Armstead, Calais Campbell and Odell Beckham Jr, Miami still found itself in need of a cultural reset this past offseason after missing the playoffs for the first time under McDaniel in 2024.
Even with the reset, it wasn't enough to save his job.
Miami was blown out by the Colts to begin the season and lost Hill in Week 4 to a dislocated knee. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was also benched following the Week 15 loss to Pittsburgh, with rookie Quinn Ewers taking the helm.
The Dolphins are now faced with yet another rebuild after stripping their roster down in 2019 and stockpiling draft picks. Most of their core players are under team control for at least the next two seasons, including Jaylen Waddle, Chop Robinson, Austin Jackson, Chubb and Zach Sieler. But they will have to make decisions on Hill and Tagovailoa, who combine for a $108.3 million cap hit in 2026.
NFL Nation Miami Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, and NFL draft analyst Matt Miller discussed what's next for a Dolphins team searching for its fourth head coach since 2018.
What led Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to make this decision now?
According to a team source, Ross' patience through the poor start to the season was rooted in his belief in the process -- and McDaniel's ability to execute it. But there was a limit to that patience if the Dolphins' on-field product didn't improve.
Multiple people involved in the decision told ESPN's Jeff Darlington that Ross felt conflicted after meeting with McDaniel on Tuesday. Although the team had turned things around at the end of the season, the results weren't good enough to continue to move forward with the "status quo." The sources said Ross loves McDaniel's "intelligence and offensive mind" but the meeting left him with some "hard thoughts."
It's worth noting that players didn't quit on McDaniel despite numerous opportunities to do so. This isn't a situation where he necessarily lost the locker room, but this was his fourth season with a hand-picked roster; at this level, results have to matter. -- Louis-Jacques
Who are the top candidates to replace McDaniel in Miami?
Despite how the Dolphins' defense has played to start the season, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is an obvious candidate; he's charismatic and well-liked among Dolphins players. Offensive coordinator Frank Smith is as well after interviewing for a head coaching job last offseason.
If Ross decides to look outside the building, there are a number of different directions he could go. He has never hired a coach with previous head coaching experience. If he opts to break that streak, former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and former Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy are available.
Multiple people involved in the decision have told Darlington that the decision to fire McDaniel was made independent of Harbaugh's recent availability (he was fired by the Ravens on Tuesday), and the Dolphins have not yet been in touch with the Super Bowl winner.
Also in the mix could be some blockbuster candidates like Jon Gruden and Bill Belichick -- although they would come with intense media attention and scrutiny.
The Dolphins are likely headed toward another rebuild, so hiring an upstart coach once again makes sense. Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady are both options. Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile both worked for the Dolphins under McDaniel and have since rapidly boosted their profiles. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula would also be an interesting candidate, considering his grandfather, Don Shula, coached the Dolphins from 1970 to 1995 and is the winningest coach in NFL history. According to Darlington, Miami doesn't plan to conduct its head coaching search until the new GM is in place. -- Louis-Jacques
What's in McDaniel's future? Will he be sought out for other head coaching or coordinator jobs?
McDaniel will have opportunities this cycle if he entertains them. It wouldn't be surprising if McDaniel gets head coaching looks in the coming weeks. Other recently fired head coaches are working their way through the interview car wash, from Atlanta's Raheem Morris to Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski. McDaniel's 35-33 record over four years in Miami, without an elite quarterback in place, is respectable. The Browns, who have an opening, have long admired McDaniel's offensive acumen, for example.
If that doesn't work out, McDaniel instantly becomes a viable playcaller candidate. Nearly a dozen teams either have an offensive coordinator opening or will have one soon. Tampa Bay and Detroit are among the OC jobs available with top-shelf skill players and a quarterback in place to entice top-shelf offensive minds such as McDaniel. McDaniel has a long history with Washington head coach Dan Quinn, who has an OC opening. While some around the league wonder whether defenses have caught up to McDaniel's offensive strategies in recent years, he's still highly regarded in league circles. -- Fowler
Could the Dolphins move on from Tua Tagovailoa?
Yes -- especially after Tagovailoa was benched late in the season for performance issues. He is in the first year of a four-year, $212.1 million extension and the team would eat nearly $100 million in dead cap if it released him this coming offseason. There is an out after the 2026 season, when a post-June 1 trade or release would mean a much more palatable $34.8 million dead cap hit spread across the following two seasons, while saving the team at least $37 million in cap space.
Considering Tagovailoa's injury history and large contract, a new regime may want to select its own quarterback, but at the very least, expect Miami to add high-end veteran competition before spring practices begin. -- Louis-Jacques
Should we expect an extensive roster shake-up this offseason?
Oh yeah. Any time a team fires its GM in the middle of the season, that's a pretty strong indication that ownership isn't happy with the state of the roster. The Dolphins could get significant salary cap savings by letting go of guys like Hill, Chubb, Austin Jackson and Minkah Fitzpatrick. I'm still not sure what they'll do about Tagovailoa, who costs $99 million in dead money to release, but his late-season benching in favor of Ewers portends potential change at QB, too. In all, the Dolphins have 25 pending free agents. Whether interim GM Champ Kelly gets the job or they hire from outside the building, the people in charge in Miami will have a mandate to make major changes to a roster that hasn't been good enough to contend for the playoffs the past two seasons. -- Graziano
What are the ripple effects for the Dolphins' draft?
The biggest question in Miami is who will be the quarterback in 2026? Tagovailoa was benched by McDaniel and could be released despite a massive dead cap hit. Ewers has played well enough to be considered for a longer look next season, but the Dolphins likely won't be in the mix for one of the top quarterbacks in this class, picking No. 11.
So let's pivot. Rebuilding a secondary that lost key starters over the past few seasons is the key first-round need, and players like Tennessee's Jermod McCoy and LSU's Mansoor Delane could be targets for Miami. -- Miller