Dolphins hire former Packers
defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as head coach
[January 20, 2026]
By ALANIS THAMES
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins hired former Packers
defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their coach on Monday, ending a
swift search and tasking him with turning around a franchise that
hasn't won a playoff game in 25 years.
Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired earlier this month
after going 35-33 in four seasons. The Dolphins also fired longtime
general manager Chris Grier during the season.
“I believe great things are ahead for the Miami Dolphins with Jeff
Hafley leading the way,” owner Stephen Ross said in a statement
Monday night. “Jeff is an accomplished coach with a proven track
record as a leader and motivator. He has tenacity and grit, while at
the same time establishing trust with his players in order to get
the most out of them.”
Hafley, who spent two seasons in Green Bay, met with the Dolphins
for a second interview earlier Monday before he was offered the job.
He will rejoin new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in Miami.
The 46-year-old Hafley left his job as head coach at Boston College
in 2024 to become defensive coordinator in Green Bay, where he
worked with Sullivan for the past two seasons. Hafley also coached
San Francisco’s defensive backs from 2016-18 after spending two
years as Cleveland’s secondary coach.
Sullivan, formerly Green Bay’s vice president of player personnel,
spent 22 seasons with the Packers before becoming the Dolphins’ GM.
“Jeff is a man of integrity, intellect and great passion who players
will buy into and play for,” Sullivan said. “He has a vision for the
kind of team we will be and the ability to motivate them to move in
one direction on the path towards that goal. I’m thrilled to go on
this journey with him and together we will build a winner that this
organization deserves.”
Under Hafley, Green Bay’s defense ranked in the top 10 of the NFL in
yards per play (5.0), yards per pass play (6.01), goal-to-go
percentage (68.9) and quarterback hits (98). He's taking over a
Dolphins team that
Packers players, who spoke highly of Hafley, had been preparing for
the possibility he would become a head coach. He also interviewed
for Tennessee’s coaching vacancy.
“That (expletive) would suck,” safety Javon Bullard said this
season. “But, you know, that’s the beauty of this profession. That’s
the sad part about this profession but it’s also a beautiful thing
too. You want everybody to succeed and level up, because that’s the
same thing with somebody here going to get a new contract somewhere
else.”
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Green Bay Packers coach Jeff Hafley holds a ball before an NFL
wild-card football game against the Chicago Bears, Saturday, Jan.
10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)
The hiring of Hafley continues Dolphins owner
Stephen Ross’ trend of gambling on candidates without prior NFL head
coaching experience. Ross has not hired a proven NFL coach since
becoming the Dolphins’ majority owner in 2009. He previously took
chances on Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian
Flores (2019-21) and McDaniel (2022-25).
“I am excited to see where Jeff leads us,” Ross said, “alongside
Jon-Eric Sullivan and our entire football operation, as we seek to
return the Dolphins to sustained success.”
McDaniel was let go after going 7-10 and missing the playoffs for
the second straight year. That set up an organizational reset that
will likely include finding a new quarterback and moving on from
former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of the 2025 season
after throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns but showing stark
declines in accuracy and mobility. He signed a four-year, $212.4
million extension in July 2024 but finished 2025 with 15
interceptions, second most in the NFL and a career high.
Tagovailoa is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins
would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him.
The Dolphins also interviewed former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski,
who was hired as Atlanta’s coach this week; Seattle offensive
coordinator Klint Kubiak; San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert
Saleh; Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula; and Jacksonville
defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, among others, during their
search.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa contributed to this
report.
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