The Miami Dolphins' decision to fire head coach Mike McDaniel was a touch bizarre and oddly timed at face value. However, there's growing suspicion that they might've already found their successor.
John Harbaugh was relieved of his duties as the Ravens' coach after 18 seasons this week, which totally shook up the NFL coaching carousel. Now, Harbaugh is the consensus top target on the market, so all eight teams with vacancies should be bidding for his services.
Although some Giants media members are confident Harbaugh won't choose Miami, one of New York's ex-players isn't so sure.
Justin Pugh suggests Mike McDaniel's firing could mean Dolphins have John Harbaugh in their crosshairs
Former Giants guard Justin Pugh, a first-round pick who spent six of his 11 NFL seasons in New York, doesn't sound so bullish on Harbaugh landing in the Big Apple, er, New Jersey. Good point here about how the Dolphins carried themselves and the nature of McDaniel's exit.
The fact that Miami fired a coach after thinking they were keeping him makes me very very nervous about Harbaugh.
— Justin Pugh (@JustinPugh) January 8, 2026
You only fire a coach if you have YOUR guy ready to be hired.
ESPN's Jordan Raanan seemed to echo Pugh's sentiments, citing Harbaugh's relationship with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross as a strong link (via FinsXtra on X/Twitter):
"If that relationship is what people say it is between Ross and the Harbaugh family, it's a wrap. Several days I got a text and it said said something to the degree of, if the Buccs or the Dolphins [HC job] opens, it's over for John Harbaugh."
Uh-oh! Pugh knows how the inner workings of the league go as someone who played in it for over a decade. His testimony certainly means something — and should give Fins fans hope. Not to get too cart-ahead-of-the-horse-y, but those who set the betting lines in Vegas or wherever seem to concur that Harbaugh landing in Miami is not outlandish in the slightest.
John Harbaugh is the prohibitive odds-on favorite to be the Miami Dolphins' next head coach
As of Friday, John Harbaugh is still almost an even-money bet to be the next Dolphins head coach on most sportsbooks.
Looks like the oddsmakers expect Miami to go against the grain of what McDaniel represented. This happens a lot and is rather predictable.
Then again, this isn't your classic mindless "switch from an offensive wizard to a defensive mastermind" pivot. We're talking about a Super Bowl champion in John Harbaugh who radically reinvented Baltimore's identity on the fly when the team built its offense around Lamar Jackson. That gave Harbaugh's tenure real legs.
If you ask me, more of the Ravens' playoff struggles have to do with Lamar choking than Harbaugh's shortcomings. I do think both sides needed a fresh start, much like the Dolphins and McDaniel needed to split to be the better version of themselves going forward.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and the Chargers' Jesse Minter would be fine hires for Miami. They just wouldn't move the needle nearly as much as John Harbaugh would.