Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has finally made his decision on the fate of head coach Mike McDaniel
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
The speculation regarding what Miami Dolphins team owner Stephen Ross would do with his franchise can finally be put to bed. Some things simply don’t need any explanation.
Among them? The decision to move on from a head coach whose best efforts to lead the program toward a promising future have gone awry. There’s no doubt that head coach Mike McDaniel is a good man and is filled with good intentions. But his efforts to lead the Miami Dolphins back to their former standards have come up short over the past two seasons.
And now, as a result, McDaniel is out as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. After clearing out the general manager position midseason and now embarking on a full-scale search for a new executive to lead the football operation, the Dolphins have doubled down, committing to wiping the slate clean and starting over.
Miami Dolphins dismiss head coach Mike McDaniel after four seasons
McDaniel’s tenure comes to an unceremonious end after what was a bright and promising start to his career as a head coach. His creativity and aggressiveness captivated the NFL in 2022, and he revitalized the career of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa while leading the team to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. If not for a four-week Injured Reserve stint by Tagovailoa in 2024, it very easily could have been three consecutive seasons with a postseason appearance.
If that were the case, McDaniel likely wouldn’t be in the position that he’s in now. But the strain of coaching without Tagovailoa was compounded by McDaniel’s shortcomings in running the offense without the starting quarterback. Miami’s offense faltered pretty much every time McDaniel was tasked to run it without Tua behind center in his first three seasons.
McDaniel did his best to distance himself from Tagovailoa midway through the 2025 season, ultimately benching the quarterback in favor of rookie signal-caller Quinn Ewers for Miami’s final three games. Ewers, for his part, offered some bright flashes in each of his three starts with the team.
But the damage of a second-straight losing season seems to have pulled any hopes of emerging out the other side with the trust of ownership to keep leading the team. As a result, Miami will not only be seeking out a new general manager, but it’ll also be exploring its options for a new head coach this month, too.
The general manager search presses onward Thursday. The head coaching search will presumably commence immediately after.
Mike McDaniel’s head coaching career with the Miami Dolphins
- 35-33 regular season record
- 0-2 postseason record
- Led Dolphins to the No. 2 scoring offense in the NFL in 2023
- Finished Dolphins’ tenure with a 15-19 record since the beginning of the 2024 season
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