MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) \u2014 The Miami Dolphins hired former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their coach on Monday, ending a swift search and tasking him with turning around a franchise that hasn\u2019t won a playoff game in 25 years.<\/p>\n
Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired earlier this month after going 35-33 in four seasons. The Dolphins also fired longtime general manager Chris Grier during the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe great things are ahead for the Miami Dolphins with Jeff Hafley leading the way,\u201d owner Stephen Ross said in a statement Monday night. \u201cJeff is an accomplished coach with a proven track record as a leader and motivator. He has tenacity and grit, while at the same time establishing trust with his players in order to get the most out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hafley, who spent two seasons in Green Bay, met with the Dolphins for a second interview earlier Monday before he was offered the job. He will rejoin new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan<\/a> in Miami.<\/p>\n The 46-year-old Hafley left his job as head coach at Boston College in 2024 to become defensive coordinator in Green Bay, where he worked with Sullivan for the past two seasons. Hafley also coached San Francisco\u2019s defensive backs from 2016-18 after spending two years as Cleveland\u2019s secondary coach. <\/p>\n Sullivan, formerly Green Bay\u2019s vice president of player personnel, spent 22 seasons with the Packers before becoming the Dolphins\u2019 GM.<\/p>\n \u201cJeff is a man of integrity, intellect and great passion who players will buy into and play for,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cHe has a vision for the kind of team we will be and the ability to motivate them to move in one direction on the path towards that goal. I\u2019m thrilled to go on this journey with him and together we will build a winner that this organization deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Hafley, Green Bay\u2019s defense ranked in the top 10 of the NFL in yards per play (5.0), yards per pass play (6.01), goal-to-go percentage (68.9) and quarterback hits (98). He\u2019s taking over a Dolphins team that <\/p>\n Packers players, who spoke highly of Hafley, had been preparing for the possibility he would become a head coach. He also interviewed for Tennessee\u2019s coaching vacancy.<\/p>\n \u201cThat (expletive) would suck,\u201d safety Javon Bullard said this season. \u201cBut, you know, that\u2019s the beauty of this profession. That\u2019s the sad part about this profession but it\u2019s also a beautiful thing too. You want everybody to succeed and level up, because that\u2019s the same thing with somebody here going to get a new contract somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n The hiring of Hafley continues Dolphins owner Stephen Ross\u2019 trend of gambling on candidates without prior NFL head coaching experience. Ross has not hired a proven NFL coach since becoming the Dolphins\u2019 majority owner in 2009. He previously took chances on Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21) and McDaniel (2022-25).<\/p>\n \u201cI am excited to see where Jeff leads us,\u201d Ross said, \u201calongside Jon-Eric Sullivan and our entire football operation, as we seek to return the Dolphins to sustained success.\u201d<\/p>\n