The Miami Dolphins, on Thursday, fired head coach Mike McDaniel. This comes after two straight years without making the playoffs. Now, Miami is one of eight NFL teams looking for a new head coach.
McDaniel, who is 42 years old, coached the Dolphins for four seasons. His overall record was 35 wins and 33 losses. He never won a playoff game during that time. At first, fans loved his exciting offense. But things went wrong, especially this season.
McDaniel joined Miami in 2022. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan. The Dolphins had a rough history, they missed the playoffs for five years in a row and 12 out of 13 seasons before him.
Right away, McDaniel delivered. In 2022, Miami went 9-8 and reached the playoffs. They lost a close wild-card game to the Buffalo Bills, 34-31. The next year, 2023, they improved to 11-6. Again, they made the playoffs but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.
Miami showed faith in him with a three-year contract extension before 2024. That deal kept him through 2028. But problems started at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa played only 11 games that year due to a concussion. The team went 6-5 with him starting, but just 2-4 without him. They finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time under McDaniel.
The 2025 season was even worse. Miami started 1-6. That put McDaniel on the "hot seat" right away. They had a players-only meeting after a bad 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Things got a bit better with a four-game winning streak in the middle of the season. But it wasn't enough.
Key low points included:
The worst came in Week 7, a 31-6 blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns. Tagovailoa threw three picks and got benched for rookie Quinn Ewers. McDaniel said "everything's on the table," including a permanent change.
Tagovailoa bounced back with four touchdown passes in a 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. But that was short-lived. They lost 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens on national TV four days later. Miami then won four straight games. Still, another bad game by Tagovailoa in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers led to his benching. Ewers started the last three games, going 1-2. The Dolphins ended 7-10, their first season with 10 losses since 2019.
Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross shared 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," he said. "I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been relieved of his duties as head coach."
Ross praised McDaniel too. "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."
This firing highlights Miami's struggles. The Dolphins haven't won a playoff game since 2000, that's the longest drought in the NFL. Their last victory was a 23-17 wild-card win over the Colts. They lost the next week to the Oakland Raiders, 27-0. Since then, they've made the playoffs five times but lost in the wild-card round each time. For more on [Miami's playoff history](internal-link-to-dolphins-playoffs-article), check our full recap.
Miami now hunts for a new coach. Reports say John Harbaugh, fired this week by the Baltimore Ravens, is at the top of their list. Other teams want him too, and he won't interview until next week.
McDaniel leaves as a coach with promise but no playoff wins. Miami hopes a fresh start ends their long wait for success.
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