Mike McDaniel fired: What was his record and contract with Dolphins?

The Miami Dolphins were supposed to keep Mike McDaniel at least for one more year. However, after meeting with owner Stephen Ross, the head coach was let go, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Now, it’s time to look at the numbers that the former head coach left on the team.

After coaching the Dolphins for four years, McDaniel ended with a 35-33 record. However, it’s a weird situation where he started off strong with two winning seasons and then ended his tenure with two losing seasons.

As for his contract, McDaniel signed a contract extension in 2024, so he was under contract until the 2028 season according to Pro Football Network. The Dolphins would owe him approximately $12 million now that they parted ways.

A full rebuild is coming to Miami

In the middle of the season, the Dolphins fired their GM Chris Grier. Then, they benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and while at first the reports stated that McDaniel would stay, he is gone now. Hence, the Dolphins are likely to reestructure from top to bottom. A new backbone will be needed.

Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins

In fact, John Harbaugh is free and he might be one of the many potential Dolphins head coach candidates. However, the Dolphins also need a quarterback to really be an attractive destination. In fact, even if the new head coach wanted to work with Tua Tagovailoa, the QB himself said a few days ago that a fresh start would be “dope.” He doesn’t even want to be there anymore.

see also

Dolphins reportedly approach a potential replacement for Mike McDaniel in 2026

Miami lost more than just key names

The biggest problem with Miami right now is that it doesn’t have much to offer. The Dolphins don’t have a GM, a HC, or a QB. But more than that, the team has lost its culture, the order and the respect among NFL people. Since last year, the culture was a problem, and that was because Mike McDaniel was too relaxed in his way of coaching. However, restoring that is not easy.

A guy like Harbaugh would be a fast track to restore the culture, but one must wonder if Harbaugh wants to go from coaching a contender to a full-on rebuild. Hence, it will be a very tense offseason for Miami.