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Mike McDaniel gave his thoughts on the Miami Dolphins
After four seasons, the Miami Dolphins decided to part ways with head coach Mike McDaniel. In his four seasons, McDaniel posted a 35-33 record, which was the fifth-best for a head coach in Miami’s franchise history. He was let go after two seasons below .500, after initially making the playoffs in his first two seasons. He was unable to end Miami’s playoff win drought as the Dolphins went 0-2 under him in the playoffs.
McDaniel was caught off guard by his firing, as reports surfaced that he fully expected to return for the 2026 season. Tight end Darren Waller shared how he was having his exit meeting with McDaniel, in which McDaniel told him he wanted him back for the 2026 season. However, that meeting was interrupted by owner Stephen Ross, who promptly fired McDaniel.
Former Dolphins Head Coach Shares Feelings
Despite being caught off guard by the firing, McDaniel chose the high road as he released a statement following his dismissal. In his statement, he thanked owner Stephen Ross for the opportunity and said leading the Dolphins franchise had been the honor of a lifetime. His childhood friend and comedian Dan Soder chose a different approach, and criticized the Dolphins, saying, “I think it’s a [expletive] organization. It’s run by [expletive] that stabbed Mike in the back after he told him he was going to be alright for another season.”
Now, with McDaniel being hired by the Los Angeles Chargers as their offensive coordinator, he spoke with Pat McAfee about his experience working with the Dolphins. He said, “I wouldn’t trade it for anything … I’m very happy with all the lessons learned. Really have found some unbelievable relationships there within the Dolphins organization and very much appreciate that time there.”
Despite the tenure ending in a somewhat rocky fashion, McDaniel does not seem bitter about his time spent in Miami. After leading the Dolphins to the third-best scoring offense, he will try to achieve similar results with Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. When asked about the move, he could not help but take a subtle shot at the Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins Coaching Staff
The Dolphins and McDaniel will forever be linked as they were the first team to take a chance on him as a head coach. They did so despite McDaniel only having one year of experience as an offensive coordinator and never having called plays. However, Miami will now move forward with head coach Jeff Hafley.
Miami recently announced that one of McDaniel’s colleagues will remain with the Dolphins. Prior to the 2025 season, McDaniel hired Bobby Slowik as the Dolphins’ pass-game coordinator. He will now serve as the Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator. He previously served as the Houston Texans offensive coordinator for three seasons. Before being announced by the Dolphins, Slowik also interviewed for the vacant offensive coordinator job in Philadelphia.
The defensive staff has yet to be fully announced, although Hafley has brought over some coaches from his time in Green Bay. However, the identity of the defensive coordinator remains to be seen. Hafley did announce that he will call defensive plays for the Dolphins in the 2026 season.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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