Dolphins hire former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as head coach

By Canadian Press on January 19, 2026.

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.”

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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Alanis Thames, The Associated Press