MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday following a 7-10 season in which Miami missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
The decision ends McDaniel’s four-year tenure in Miami, a period defined by soaring expectations that ultimately went unfulfilled.
“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement Thursday morning. “I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been relieved of his duties as head coach.”
The Dolphins went 35-32 under McDaniel, reaching the playoffs his first two seasons but losing in the first round each time. Miami missed the postseason in 2024 after being eliminated by the Jets in the regular-season finale. This year, their postseason hopes ended with a loss to Pittsburgh in Week 15, ensuring that their 25-year playoff-win drought — the longest streak in the NFL — would continue.
Miami parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier on Oct. 31 and began its search for a new general manager this week. But a disjointed finish to the season that saw former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa get benched proved the final straw for Ross, who decided to move on from McDaniel, the quirky, dry-witted wunderkind head coach once viewed as the franchise's future.
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