Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel, the
quirky, inventive coach who they once viewed as their future
[January 09, 2026]
By ALANIS THAMES
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mike McDaniel has run out of luster in
Miami.
The Dolphins fired the dry-witted, wunderkind coach who they once
viewed as the future of the franchise on Thursday, ending his
four-year tenure that was defined by soaring — and unfulfilled —
expectations.
McDaniel fell out of favor following a 7-10 season in which Miami
missed the playoffs for a second straight year.
“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season
ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of
comprehensive change,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a
statement. “I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been
relieved of his duties as head coach.”
The Dolphins went 35-33 under McDaniel, reaching the playoffs in his
first two seasons but losing in the first round each time. Miami
missed the postseason in 2024 after being eliminated by the Jets in
the regular-season finale. This year, their postseason hopes ended
with a loss to Pittsburgh in Week 15, ensuring that their 25-year
playoff-win drought would continue.
“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,” McDaniel said in a statement. "I gave everything I
had for that goal. I'm disappointed, especially for the fans, that
we did not have better results on the field."
Miami parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier on Oct.
31 and began its search for a new general manager this week. But a
disjointed finish to the season that saw former first-round pick Tua
Tagovailoa get benched proved the final straw for Ross.
“I love Mike and want to thank him for his hard work, commitment,
and the energy he brought to our organization," Ross said in his
statement. "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, 42, arrived in Miami in 2022 after one season as San
Francisco’s offensive coordinator. Credited with adding inventive
wrinkles to the 49ers’ run game, the first-time head coach was
billed as the creative mind who, along with Tagovailoa, was supposed
to lift the Dolphins out of years of mediocrity.
Initially, things appeared to be heading that way.
McDaniel won 20 of his first 33 games, including a 3-0 start during
his first year with wins over Baltimore, Buffalo and New England. He
took the Dolphins to the playoffs that season and nearly beat the
Bills with rookie Skylar Thompson starting in place of the concussed
Tagovailoa.
His off-the-cuff jokes, idiosyncratic sayings and flashy style were
a refreshing deviation from the approach of many other head coaches
— but they were also initially met with needed results on the field.
Tagovailoa had credited McDaniel with rebuilding his confidence
after former Dolphins coach Brian Flores tore it down as a young
quarterback. Tagovailoa said last year that the constant criticism
early in his career left him doubting himself. He was the fifth pick
in the 2020 draft and won the starting job, but was benched twice as
a rookie and faced uncertainty his second year amid speculation the
Dolphins were seeking a trade for Deshaun Watson.
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel speaks during a news
conference after an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP
Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
“To put it in simplest terms,” Tagovailoa said in a
2024 interview on “The Dan LeBatard Show,” if you woke up every
morning and I told you you suck at what you did, that you don’t
belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy
should be here, that you haven’t earned this right. ... And then you
have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit
for us, you are accurate, you are the best.’ How would it make you
feel listening to one or the other?”
With McDaniel tailoring Miami's offense to his strengths, Tagovailoa
led the NFL’s top offense in 2023, throwing for a league-best 4,624
yards and 29 touchdowns. He led the league in 2024 with a 72.9
completion rate.
Since that season, which ended in a 26-7 loss in a frigid wild-card
game at Kansas City, the Dolphins have gone 15-19, and appear far
from the franchise that just a couple of years ago spoke of
contending for a Super Bowl.
They haven’t won a playoff game since 2000, the longest active
drought in the NFL. And they have made headlines more for culture
issues in the past year than on-field success.
Tyreek Hill, the star receiver who the Dolphins acquired from the
Chiefs in 2022, took himself out of last year’s regular-season
finale and later told reporters “I’m out,” expressing frustration
with not making the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Hill — who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 — later
apologized, walked back those comments and stated his commitment to
the Dolphins. But his actions seemed to reflect behind the scenes
culture issues with the Dolphins in 2024, which included instances
of players repeatedly showing up late to meetings.
McDaniel, Grier and veteran players said during the offseason that
many of those issues had been addressed, and they commended the new
team camaraderie that they hoped would help them get off to a fast
start in 2025.
The Dolphins opened the season with a 33-8 drubbing by Indianapolis
and ended it with another blowout loss to New England. Now, they
head into another offseason of uncertainty.
“Eventually, like everybody else in this league, you’re not entitled
to this position,” McDaniel said Monday. “If I’m not able to win
regular-season games, playoff games and Super Bowls, eventually the
job won’t be mine.”
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