Updated on: Sept 20, 2025 05:19 am IST
Mike McDaniel is in a tricky spot. With the Dolphins 0-3 this season, the 42-year-old head coach is reportedly on the brink of losing his job.
Mike McDaniel is in a tricky spot. With the Dolphins 0-3 this season, the 42-year-old head coach is reportedly on the brink of losing his job. Miami’s latest loss came against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday. Now, the rumor mill is linking a Super Bowl-winning coach as the potential candidate to replace McDaniel.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel speaks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills(AP)
NFL insider Andrew Fillipponi opened the discussion about McDaniel’s potential replacement. He proposed Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s name for the job.
“Something to consider: The Dolphins going after Mike Tomlin when Mike McDaniel is fired as Miami coach,” he wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. However, neither Tomlin nor the Dolphins has reacted to these rumors.
Steve Ross patient
Meanwhile, it was reported that Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross is keeping his cool, despite the three consecutive losses. According to NFL Media, Ross wants McDaniel to work out, especially since he signed a contract extension just last year and has the job till 2028. Ian Rapoport reported that no firing is imminent.
The Dolphins had hired McDaniel in 2022 after his five seasons as an offensive assistant in San Francisco. In his first year as Miami’s head coach, the team went 9-8 and successfully snapped a five-year playoff drought. In 2023, they had an 11-6 season. They lost in the wild-card round that year to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. In 2024, McDaniel finished with an 8-9 record.
The Miami Dolphins will face the New York Jets in Week 4. A loss there woud actually hurt, ESPN’s Peter Schrager said.
“Monday Night Football, Jets versus Dolphins in Miami,” Schrager said. “If you get blown out tonight, it’s not good and there will be people calling for McDaniel’s head. If you lose to the Jets in Week 4 and start the season off 0-4 and losing on national TV two weeks in a row… that’s when we really start talking about this.”
News / Sports / US Sports / Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins fate decided amid ‘fired’ rumors; Super Bowl-winning coach in the run
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