The clock on the Mike McDaniel era might be rapidly approaching midnight as the Miami Dolphins season continues to spiral out of control.
The Dolphins missed the playoffs last season for the first time since McDaniel came over in 2022 from the San Francisco 49ers as the run-game maestro and offensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan. And things have bottomed out this year, with the 1-5 Dolphins’ only win coming against the New York Jets, the only team with a worse record. And that game saw star receiver Tyreek Hill suffer a season-ending knee injury.
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The vibes are so bad in Miami that people are complaining about everything down to McDaniel’s choice in pants. Tua Tagovailoa didn’t help matters by calling out leadership and saying players were showing up late to meetings. McDaniel did his best to protect his franchise quarterback in the aftermath of last week’s deflating loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I do honestly believe it was not, there’s no ill intention, but you’re talking about, I think kind of a misguided representation of player orchestrated film sessions,” McDaniel said Monday. “And the bottom line is no one’s going to be happy and always is looking for reasons for failure to succeed.”
At least the team isn’t likely to see planes dragging banners calling for McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier to be fired before today’s game in Cleveland. Of course, if they fall to the 1-5 Browns, there’s a chance McDaniel doesn’t make the return flight to South Florida.
It’s easy to forget that McDaniel had the Dolphins humming as one of the most dynamic offenses in football. Miami’s back-to-back playoff appearances to start his tenure was the first such occurrence since Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt were in charge from 1997 to 2001. They finished sixth in yards in 2022 and first in 2023, the only year with a full season of Tagovailoa under center. But they fell to 18th in 2024 and sit at 26th entering today’s game, which is still better at least than their 30th-ranked defense.
Is Mike McDaniel getting fired as Dolphins coach?
Not yet. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly came down to the field to be with the team after they took a late lead against the Chargers only to see it evaporate in the waning seconds. The 85-year-old Ross also talked with McDaniel after the Dolphins’ loss Oct. 5 to the Carolina Panthers to voice his frustration.
Before a loss at Buffalo on Sept. 18, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Ross would only consider firing McDaniel if fans stopped showing up or if he lost the locker room. The Dolphins have not fired a coach during the season since Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start in 2015.
Regardless of what lies ahead, McDaniel will not be the first head coach fired this season. The Tennessee Titans fired Brian Callahan on Oct. 13 after a 1-5 start.
Mike McDaniel contract details
In 2024, the Dolphins signed Mike McDaniel to a three-year contract extension that keeps him in Miami through the 2028 season. His deal is worth a reported $3.5 million per year, tied for 20th among NFL head coaches, according to Front Office Sports. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said he is due $18 million over the next two seasons.
McDaniel signed the extension seven months after his Dolphins were bounced in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season.
Mike McDaniel record with Dolphins
Mike McDaniel has been the head coach in Miami since the 2022 season. He took the team to the playoffs in his first two seasons, losing in the wild-card round both times. The Dolphins lost at Buffalo 34-31 after the 2022 season and lost at Kansas City 26-7 after the 2023 season.
Here’s a look at McDaniel’s record with the Dolphins with his playoff record in parentheses:
Dolphins schedule 2025
Here is Miami’s schedule and results. All times Eastern:
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Will Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel? Contract info, record as Miami coach
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
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