After Mike McDaniel’s firing, the Dolphins could pursue John Harbaugh or another experienced coach

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins continued an organizational reboot on Thursday, firing coach Mike McDaniel amid an ongoing search for a new general manager.

Miami owner Stephen Ross will be looking for his fourth head coach since 2018.

“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change,” Ross said in a statement Thursday morning.

There were plenty of indications that a change of some sort would be necessary as Miami’s 2025 season unfolded, and Ross parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier after a Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, following the decision to move on from McDaniel after four seasons, the Dolphins will likely face another full rebuild after gutting their roster in 2019 and stockpiling draft picks.

Season of disappointment

Miami lost six of its first seven games and finished 7-10, missing the playoffs for a second straight year. Star receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4, and struggling former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa was benched by the end of the season.

The Dolphins opened the season with 33-8 drubbing by Daniel Jones and the Colts, a game in which they looked unprepared and did little on either side of the ball. A week later, they were undone by miscues and miscommunication against the Patriots when they had multiple late chances to take the lead.

Many of their other defeats — a 10-point loss to a Bills team McDaniel beat only twice in his tenure, a three-point loss to the Carolina Panthers and a two-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — all saw the Dolphins fail to deliver after giving themselves a chance.

One week after squandering a 17-0 lead at Carolina, the Dolphins led Los Angeles by one point with 46 seconds remaining before allowing Justin Herbert to lead his team down the field to set up a game-winning field goal.

Calls for McDaniel’s dismissal were frequent this season. Ahead of Miami’s first three home games, fans had crowdsourced a banner that was flown over Hard Rock Stadium calling for his firing.

His players publicly backed him.

“Us as players, we believe in him,” offensive tackle Patrick Paul said during the season. “He believed in me when most didn’t, and he’s a great coach. He’s a players’ coach who believes in his players. He inspires us and speaks confidence into us and makes us go out there with a sense of urgency. … We love him.”

Ross apparently felt the same way, saying in Thursday’s statement that he loves McDaniel.

But with loads of talent to work with during his four years and no playoff wins to show for it, that affection wasn’t enough to save McDaniel’s job in a results-based league.

GM search

Miami joined seven other NFL teams with head coaching vacancies, including Baltimore, which fired longtime coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday.

The Dolphins’ immediate concern, though, will be finding a new GM, with Hall of Famer Troy Aikman aiding in that process.

Miami completed an initial phase of interviews with potential candidates earlier this week and was set to hold in-person interviews with four of them.

Among those scheduled for those interviews were Champ Kelly, Miami’s interim GM since the midseason firing of Grier; Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander; Green Bay vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and San Francisco director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.

Miami’s Harbaugh connection

Ross has not hired someone with previous head coaching experience since becoming the Dolphins’ majority owner in 2009 — recently gambling on Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21) and McDaniel (2022-25).

That could change — especially now that a coach with Harbaugh’s experience and resume is available.

Many have already linked Harbaugh to Miami, though the coach has reportedly not yet been in talks with the organization.

Following Harbaugh’s dismissal by the Ravens on Tuesday, the Dolphins requested an interview with Alexander for their GM opening. Alexander, who joined the Chargers’ front office ahead of the 2024 season, has a long history with Harbaugh, having worked in various roles for the Ravens over 20 seasons.

Ross, a Michigan graduate, also a has ties to the Harbaugh family. He has poured in millions of dollars to the university as a donor and has previously pursued Jim Harbaugh to coach the Dolphins.

If Ross decides to take a chance on another inexperienced coach, he may consider Anthony Weaver, Miami’s defensive coordinator who has interviewed for head coaching jobs the past few years and is already well-regarded by Dolphins players.

Other experienced targets could include former Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy; Vance Joseph, the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator who had the same role with the Dolphins in 2016; or Kevin Stefanski, who was recently fired by Cleveland.

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Alanis Thames, The Associated Press