Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel.

08 January 2026

The Dolphins are moving on from their head coach after four seasons, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. McDaniel met with owner Stephen Ross this week and Ross decided to move on from the 42-year-old coach despite his contract running through 2028. McDaniel’s Dolphins made the playoffs in his first two years, but were bounced in the Wild Card round each time and failed to make the playoffs each of the last two seasons. While the Dolphins held out the longest of any team that fired their coach so far, the writing was on the wall for McDaniel after a 1-6 start this season. There are now eight head coaching vacancies around the league. McDaniel could be a candidate for the Browns head coaching position, according to a previous report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, though an offensive coordinator position could also be an option for McDaniel.