As the Miami Dolphins prepare for their final game of the 2025 regular season, Mike McDaniel's future with the organization is still very much up in the air. The fourth-year head coach looked doomed early in the year when the Dolphins were a mere 1-6 in the first seven games of the season, but things picked up considerably in the second half of the 2025 campaign.
After that 1-6 start, the Dolphins finished with a 6-3 record, bringing their total record to 7-9 with the chance to finish either at 8-9 or 7-10. Has the second-half effort from this Dolphins squad been enough to save McDaniel's job for 2026? That remains to be seen.
If McDaniel is relieved of his duties following the Dolphins' Week 18 game against the Patriots, he'd most definitely be a popular offensive coordinator target for plenty of NFL teams in search of a new one. In fact, Braden Holecek of Arrowhead Addict floated out how McDaniel could make a ton of sense as the next offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, which is something not many people would want to see.
"McDaniel was the run game coordinator for four years under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers. He was then elevated to offensive coordinator during his final year in San Francisco. You cannot say that the Dolphins have been perfect in rushing during his head coaching tenure.
Yet his run games have been among the most efficient more often than not. Not only that, but the rushing attacks have thrived off speed. That is something Kansas City desperately needs to rediscover in its run game. He has also designed a fairly quarterback-friendly offense, making things easier for a passer like Tua Tagovailoa and working around his limitations."
Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel joining Chiefs sounds too dangerous
It would absolutely infuriate the rest of the NFL if McDaniel went to Kansas City and was the next offensive coordinator working with Patrick Mahomes. Sure, Dolphins fans have had their fair share of issues with McDaniel during his time in South Beach, but his schemes did have success.
This was evident in 2023 when Tua Tagovailoa threw for over 4,600 yards, and the Dolphins were on fire offensively. Imagine what he could do with Mahomes running his schemes. It's not even fair to think about, quite honestly.
Even though Dolphins fans might be at their wits' end with McDaniel as the head coach, letting him link up with Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs would be a tough pill to swallow.