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Head Coach Mike McDaniel talks on the sidelines with Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins
After a disappointing 2025 NFL season, in which the Miami Dolphins finished with an ugly 7-10 record, the team is already undergoing drastic changes, starting with parting ways with head coach Mike McDaniel.
Once the team started struggling during the 2025 campaign, the consensus around the league was that McDaniel was on the hot seat and in danger of losing his job if he couldn’t get more out of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and turn things around.
Ultimately, the Dolphins’ brass chose to move on, and there will likely be more changes ahead.
Tyreek Hill Reacts to Mike McDaniel Taking Chargers OC Job
GettyTyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins
Not long after the Dolphins fired McDaniel as their head coach, he found a new home as the Los Angeles Chargers‘ offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh.
McDaniel seems like a good fit in Los Angeles and potentially exactly what the Chargers need to reignite their offense with star quarterback Justin Herbert under center.
Interestingly enough, McDaniel taking the job with the Chargers sparked a reaction from superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who took to his X account to post the following about his former head coach’s move.
“Mike to the Chargers hm,” Hill said on Wednesday.
Even before Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury in September, there was a lot of speculation about his future with the Dolphins, as he had made comments about wanting to go elsewhere, which ruffled some feathers in Miami.
Hill is under contract with the team for one more season, but Miami could decide to move on, even with the $51 million cap hit. He could be a cap casualty, and there’s a chance he may try to reunite with McDaniel in Los Angeles if the Chargers are willing to bring him in.
Dolphins Hire Jeff Hafley to be Mike McDaniel’s Successor
GettyFormer defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley of the Green Bay Packers
After moving on from McDaniel, the Dolphins didn’t waste any time finding their next head coach, as they have brought in former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Dolphins are hiring former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach,” Schefter reported. “Hafley completed his second interview with the team today and will be their new head coach.”
Hafley has bounced around quite a bit during his coaching career, serving as a defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers before stints with Ohio State, Boston College and the Packers.
It’ll be interesting to see what Hafley brings to the Dolphins, who have a lot of issues to address before the 2026 NFL season gets underway.
Perhaps the first order of business will be determining what the future holds for Hill and Tagovailoa, as they could be two stars the team is ready to part ways with in order to begin a rebuild with Hafley at the helm.
It is uncertain whether the Dolphins’ brass is genuinely ready to move on from Tagovailoa, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility.
Ryan Ward is a longtime credentialed writer covering the NBA and NFL. He has over 15 years of experience in the sports industry from writing, editing, social media management and podcasting. He has covered the Lakers and Raiders for Medium Large Sports, with a previous stint at ClutchPoints. Ward is a Los Angeles native from the United Kingdom, who now resides in Colorado.
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