Comedian Dan Soder didn\u2019t sugarcoat his reaction to the Dolphins firing his good friend, head coach Mike McDaniel, after Miami finished 7-10 this season.<\/p>\n
During Tuesday\u2019s installment of the \u201cSoder\u201d podcast,<\/a> the comedian ripped Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, calling him an \u201cold f\u2013k\u201d \u2014 and claimed ESPN analyst Troy Aikman, who was brought in as an unpaid advisor<\/a> for Miami\u2019s GM search, was behind McDaniel\u2019s firing.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fact, I think he\u2019s better off, because I think \u2026 it\u2019s a s\u2013t organization,\u201d Soder said, adding that McDaniel \u201chas been my buddy\u201d since the seventh grade.<\/p>\n Comedian Dan Soder performs onstage during Moontower Just For Laughs at the Paramount Theatre on April 21, 2022 in Austin, Texas. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s ran by an old f\u2013k that stabbed Mike in the back after he told him he was going to be alright for another season. And f\u2013k the Dolphins.\u201d<\/p>\n McDaniel was fired roughly 16 months after he signed a three-year extension in August 2024.<\/p>\n In four years at the helm, he went 35-34 without winning a playoff game.<\/p>\n Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel responds to a question during an end-of-season NFL football news conference, Monday, January 5, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. AP<\/p>\n Soder,\u00a0who is also the fianc\u00e9 of SiriusXM host and former ESPNer Katie Nolan, called out Aikman for \u201csh\u2013ting on\u201d McDaniel while calling games on \u201cMonday Night Football.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI think Troy Aikman f\u2013king got Mike fired \u2026 When you watch football as a fan, you notice when broadcasters are slanted for or against you,\u201d Soder said.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a friend that\u2019s an NFL coach, you listen more when people talk about your friend. And Troy Aikman s\u2013ts on McDaniel in a way that it\u2019s like, \u2018He doesn\u2019t like Mike.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Aikman was particularly critical of the Dolphins\u2019 end-of-game strategy during a \u201cMNF\u201d loss to the Steelers<\/a> on Dec. 15, calling their lack of urgency \u201cbizarre\u201d while trailing by multiple scores in the 28-15 loss.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just a bizarre last few series,\u201d Aikman said. \u201cThey don\u2019t go hurry-up. Now, they\u2019re going hurry-up and calling timeouts. It\u2019s just, it\u2019s hard to understand exactly what the philosophy or what they\u2019re trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n ESPN Broadcaster Troy Aikman looks on before the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium on October 6, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. Getty Images<\/p>\n Soder also praised McDaniel for being loyal to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who\u2019s hoping to find a new team next season after being benched for the team\u2019s final three games.<\/p>\n \u201cI think McDaniel got fired because he tied himself to Tua and they lost \u2026 but I think that\u2019s a sign of my friend being loyal,\u201d Soder said. <\/p>\n \u201cSo as a friend, I go, f\u2013k yeah he stuck with him. And I hope the next team he goes to, the quarterback goes, \u2018Well this guy stuck with him, so I believe in him.’\u201d<\/p>\n Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross gestures and smiles as he celebrates the Dolphins defeating the New Orleans Saints during an NFL football game, November 30, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. AP<\/p>\n McDaniel, 42, interviewed for the Browns\u2019 head coach job Monday,\u00a0according to Cleveland.com.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n He was the Browns\u2019 receivers coach in 2014 under then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and head coach Mike Pettine.\u00a0<\/p>\n