Four years ago, Mike McDaniel became head coach of the Miami Dolphins with the promise of a lightning-fast offense built on a dynamic run game. Tom Brady’s departure the previous season meant New England’s two-decade reign atop the AFC East was over, and with an exciting young quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and the offseason addition of game-breaking receiver Tyreek Hill, fans in South Florida figured a Super Bowl was within reach.
It didn’t pan out. The Dolphins are 0-2 with losses to those Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, two teams without high expectations for the season. For Week 3 they have a Thursday night matchup with the Buffalo Bills, the team that took the mantle as divisional overlords from under their noses. And McDaniel is considered by many football pundits as most likely to be the first coach fired in 2025.
If the Bills destroy the Dolphins and send them to 0-3 for the first time since 2019, there’s a chance general manger Chris Grier could bring the hammer down (some fans might like to see owner Stephen Ross axe them both). The Dolphins effectively have a full bye week before their next game, a Monday night matchup Sept. 29 against the New York Jets. And while firing the coach three weeks in might seem drastic, it would be following a recent trend of early resets in the NFL.
NFL coaches fired midseason
Al Davis made waves when he fired Lane Kiffin in 2008, both because it came just four games into the Oakland Raiders’ season and because he laid out a lengthy presentation to reporters with aid from an overhead projector. His son and successor, Mark Davis, fired Dennis Allen after Week 4 of the 2014 season. Ten years later, Allen would be fired by the New Orleans Saints after Week 9, giving him the dubious honor of the only NFL head coach to get the midseason pink slip twice.
The Raiders’ proclivity for quick firings has continued over the past few years, but they didn’t invent the idea. Seattle fired Jack Patera, the Seahawks’ first ever head coach, after starting 0-2 in 1982 in the middle of a strike. And in 1978, the legendary George Allen was fired from the Los Angeles Rams after two preseason games.
The Dolphins have gone down this road before. Ten years ago, Joe Philbin was let go after Miami returned from a Week 4 loss in London. He was replaced for the rest of the season by tight ends coach Dan Campbell, who would rise to fame in his current head coaching gig with the Detroit Lions.
Does firing a coach midseason work?
Since 2014, 19 coaches have been fired midseason with more teams recently willing to abandon ship before the end of the year (three coaches were shown the door early in each of the past three years). Over that time, teams are 64-169-3 before firing their coach (a .278 win percentage) and 60-155 the rest of their season (.343). While that is an improvement, as an analysis by Forbes states, “it is typically not enough to alter a team’s playoff chances or provide a long-term fix. Midseason firings often reflect a need to change direction and appease fans and stakeholders, signaling that the team is actively addressing its struggles.”
Where would firing Mike McDaniel rank among the earliest firings in recent history? Here’s a look back at the last 10 years of the first coaches fired in each NFL season:
Robert Saleh | New York Jets, 2024
The Jets fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8, after Week 5 of the 2024 season. New York went 2-3 under Saleh and 3-9 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. Saleh finished 20-36 in three-plus seasons in New York. The Jets hired Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to fill the role for 2025.
Josh McDaniels | Las Vegas Raiders, 2023
The Raiders fired Josh McDaniels on Nov. 1, after Week 8 of the 2023 season. Las Vegas went 3-5 under McDaniels and 5-4 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, who was named full-time head coach over the offseason but was fired after a 4-13 season in 2024. McDaniels finished 9-16 over one-plus season in Las Vegas.
Matt Rhule | Carolina Panthers, 2022
The Panthers fired Matt Rhule on Oct. 10, after Week 5 of the 2022 season. Carolina went 1-4 under Rhule and 6-6 under interim coach Steve Wilks. Rhule finished 11-27 over two-plus seasons in Carolina. The Panthers hired former Colts head coach Frank Reich to fill the role for 2023, only to fire him after a 1-10 start.
Jon Gruden | Las Vegas Raiders, 2021
Jon Gruden resigned Oct. 11, after Week 5 of the 2021 season. Las Vegas went 3-2 under Gruden and 7-5 under interim coach Rich Bisaccia, making the playoffs at 10-7. Gruden finished 11-10 in one-plus season during his second stint as Raiders coach. The Raiders hired Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to fill the role in 2022 (we’ve seen what happened there).
Bill O’Brien | Houston Texans, 2020
The Texans fired Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5, after Week 4 of the 2020 season. Houston went 0-4 under O’Brien and 4-8 under interim coach Romeo Crennel. O’Brien finished 52-48 over six-plus seasons in Houston. The Texas hired David Culley to fill the role in 2021, then fired him after a 4-13 campaign.
Jay Gruden | Washington Commanders, 2019
Washington fired Jay Gruden on Oct. 7, after Week 5 of the 2019 season. Washington went 0-5 under Gruden and 3-8 under interim coach Bill Callahan. Gruden finished 35-49-1 over five-plus seasons in Washington. The newly named Washington Football Team hired former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera to fill the role in 2020, and he went 26-40-1 over four seasons there.
Hue Jackson | Cleveland Browns, 2018
The Browns fired Hue Jackson on Oct. 29, after Week 8 of the 2018 season. Cleveland went 2-5-1 under Jackson and 5-3 under interim coach Gregg Williams. Jackson finished 3-36-1 over two-plus seasons in Cleveland, including a 1-15 campaign in 2016 and the league’s second 0-16 season in 2017. The Browns promoted running backs coach Freddie Kitchens to fill the role in 2019, and he went 6-10 in his lone season in charge.
Ben McAdoo | New York Giants, 2017
The Giants fired Ben McAdoo on Dec. 4, after Week 13 of the 2017 season. New York went 2-10 under McAdoo and 1-3 under interim coach Steve Spagnuolo. McAdoo finished 13-15 after one-plus season in New York. The Giants hired Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to fill the role in 2018, and he went 9-23 in two seasons.
Jeff Fisher | Los Angeles Rams, 2016
The Rams fired Jeff Fisher on Dec. 12, after Week 14 of the 2016 season. Los Angeles went 4-9 under Fisher and 0-3 under interim coach John Fassel. Fisher finished 31-45-1 over four-plus seasons with the Rams. LA hired Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay to fill the role in 2017, and in his first eight seasons he has gone 80-52 with two Super Bowl appearances, including a win after the 2021 season.
Joe Philbin | Miami Dolphins, 2015
The Dolphins fired Joe Philbin on Oct. 5, after Week 4 of the 2015 season. Miami went 1-3 under Philbin and 5-7 under interim coach Dan Campbell. Philbin finished 24-28 over three-plus seasons in Miami. The Dolphins hired Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase to fill the role in 2016, and he went 23-25 in three seasons.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Will Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel? Week 3 would be early even by modern NFL standards
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
