With the news that Troy Aikman would be serving as a consultant for the Miami Dolphins amid their general manager search starting next week, the realization started to settle in for many that this arrangement had the potential to be awkward. Aikman, who does color commentary for Monday Night Football, was on the call for Miami’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this season. Miami, which was eliminated from the postseason in that game, was the subject of criticism for their handling of the fourth quarter — criticism that included opinions on Mike McDaniel.
The reports thus far have been very clear: Troy Aikman is not here to judge Mike McDaniel or help determine his job status in any way. Aikman is here to help glean information and sort through candidates for a major power player in Miami’s front office. But with that said, whoever they choose could, ultimately, decide McDaniel’s fate. So the path to some awkwardness was apparent nonetheless.
Mike McDaniel, for what it’s worth, didn’t seem to think twice about Aikman’s comments on the broadcast. Miami’s head coach chalked it up as simply what comes with the territory when asked about it on Friday afternoon.
Mike McDaniel says there’s no need to iron anything out with new team consultant Troy Aikman
Miami Dolphin’s head coach Mike McDaniel stands on the field during a week 14 football game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.
“When I signed up for this job, this just in: when things work, people will applaud. When they don’t work, they’ll have critiques…and if I expect anything else, that’s a level of entitlement that doesn’t really hit me correctly. It’s kind of the nature of the biz. So you’re telling me he didn’t like us not scoring points and taking up too much time. Neither did I, that was not the intent. He’s doing his job and when I signed up for this job, it was inherent that results dictate all narratives regardless of if something was good, bad, or whatever. It doesn’t bother me in the least, as a matter of fact I’d think it would be funny if it did.”
— Mike McDaniel on Troy Aikman’s criticism of the Dolphins offensive effort on Monday Night Football vs. the Steelers
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This is, at the very least, the right thing to say publicly about your team bringing in a consultant who was critical of your performance on a very public stage. McDaniel deserves credit here for how he handled the question, which could have only further fueled speculation of awkwardness or issues if his answer came out wrong. You never really know what you’re going to get from a Mike McDaniel press conference. But at the very least, Mike did and said the right thing to throw cold water on any speculation of issue on this front.
At the end of the day, McDaniel is right. The NFL is a results-oriented industry and the narratives that come from winning or losing often feel very different despite what is often times plenty of overlap. And now McDaniel must hope for one last win in 2025 to make a final case for the final judgement of his future in Miami.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.