MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday morning after four seasons with the team.
The team and owner Stephen Ross tweeted a statement at 10:40 a.m. confirming the firing.
WATCH BELOW: Fans sound off on Dolphins firing Mike McDaniel
"After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change. I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been relieved of his duties as head coach," Ross said in a statement. "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."
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.
"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."
The Miami Dolphins have relieved Head Coach Mike McDaniel of his duties. pic.twitter.com/5APbwENBU1
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 8, 2026
McDaniel, 42, was named the 11th head coach of the Dolphins on Feb. 7, 2022, arriving 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.
The Dolphins will likely pursue former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was fired on Tuesday after 18 seasons. It's unclear if Harbaugh would have any interest in coaching in Miami. Given his pedigree and success, including winning a Super Bowl in 2013, Harbaugh is being pursued by multiple NFL teams that are looking to fill their head coaching vacancies.
Miami is also currently interviewing candidates to fill its general manager position after firing Chris Grier in October following the team's 2-7 start to the season. The team announced Wednesday night that they have completed the initial round of interviews for that role.
The following candidates will have in-person interviews this week for the GM job:
- Chad Alexander, Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager
- Champ Kelly, Miami Dolphins interim general manager
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel
- Josh Williams, San Francisco 49ers' director of scouting and football operations
The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since the 2000 season, which is currently the longest drought in the NFL.
