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01/08 10:33 CST Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel, the quirky, inventive coach who
they once viewed as their future
Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel, the quirky, inventive coach who they once viewed
as their future
By ALANIS THAMES
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) --- The Miami Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel on
Thursday following a 7-10 season in which Miami missed the playoffs for the
second straight year.
The decision ends McDaniel's four-year tenure in Miami, a period defined by
soaring expectations that ultimately went unfulfilled.
"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 Thursday morning. "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 --- the longest streak in the
NFL --- would continue.
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, who decided to move on from McDaniel, the
quirky, dry-witted wunderkind head coach once viewed as the franchise's future.
"I love Mike and want to thank him for his hard work, commitment, and the
energy he brought to our organization," Ross said in Thursday's 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.
"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.
"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."
___
This story has been corrected to show that McDaniel was 35-33 as Dolphins
coach, not 35-32.
___
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