The Miami Dolphins announced Thursday that they have fired head coach Mike McDaniel, signaling a reset for the franchise following another disappointing season.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, team owner Stephen Ross met with McDaniel earlier this week to review the year, and after further consideration, chose to move in a different direction. The move came days after McDaniel told reporters he expected to assist in the search for a new general manager, underscoring how quickly the organization’s plans shifted.
Ross said in a statement: “After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change. I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been relieved of his duties as head coach. I love Mike and want to thank him for his hard work, commitment, and the energy he brought to our organization. Mike is an incredibly creative football mind whose passion for the game and his players was evident every day. I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
McDaniel, hired in 2022 after several seasons on Kyle Shanahan’s staff in San Francisco, finishes his Miami tenure with a 35–33 record across four seasons. The Dolphins reached the playoffs in each of his first two years but were eliminated in the wild-card round both times. Miami’s on-field results declined steadily after an offensive peak in 2023, when the Dolphins led the NFL in total offense and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa paced the league with 4,624 passing yards. However, injuries and inconsistency caught up to the unit in 2024, and their 2025 campaign unraveled early, with Miami dropping seven of its first eight games and includied Tagovailoa missing a career-high six games. This season’s 7–10 finish marked the worst record of McDaniel’s tenure and the team’s second straight losing year, and general manager Chris Grier was fired at the end of October.
Miami will now hire a general manager before beginning its head coaching search, with the front office position expected to be filled imminently. The team confirmed it has completed an initial round of GM interviews and scheduled in-person meetings with interim GM Champ Kelly, Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and 49ers executive Josh Williams. Kelly met with the team Wednesday, while the remaining candidates arrived in South Florida for interviews on Thursday.
In a statement released Thursday, McDaniel reflected on his time with the team: “Coaching this team and being a part of this great franchise has been the honor of a lifetime. When I took this job, I had a vision of a team that was bonded together and played with passion and energy on the path to winning championships. I gave everything I had for that goal. I am disappointed, especially for the fans, that we did not have better results on the field, but I am grateful for every coach, player, and staff member who poured themselves into that vision alongside me.”
Editorial credit: Gregory Reed / Shutterstock.com