Jimmy Johnson is a born Texan, though through his career and retirement, it's clear he's an honorary South Floridian. From leading the Miami Hurricanes to a 52–9 record over five years, including a National Championship in 1987, to coaching the Miami Dolphins from 1996–1999, with three playoff appearances and two playoff wins to show for it, the man has more than paid his dues.
What's more, he's made his home in the Florida Keys for more than 30 years, dating back to his final Super Bowl victory in which he famously told then-President Bill Clinton that he wouldn't make the White House visit because he'd be too busy fishing at his estate down south. It's in Key Largo where Johnson's namesake restaurant, Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill, housed quite the quartet on Friday.
Following Tuesday's OTA, Hafley was asked about the rendezvous and gave a substantive answer with a potentially foreshadowing nugget baked within.
"[Hafley, Sullivan, and Wannstedt] drove out, met him for lunch, and just asked him a lot of questions and listened to him about his first go in Dallas — I mean they had a really rough first year. Then he went on to win his Super Bowls. And I asked him about his time here, and all of his stops, and any advice he could give me going forward this year. Advice with coaches, players, game day — [I] really just picked his brain."
Jimmy Johnson meeting with Jeff Hafley could set the stage for the outcome Miami Dolphins fans crave
It's ironic that Jimmy Johnson is meeting with a coach in just about his precise predicament some 37 years later. The Cowboys that Johnson inherited might have been worse than the 2025 Dolphins — Dallas went 3–13 the year before his arrival to attest to that. In any case, he went into his inaugural season undermanned and with one hand tied behind his back, as his team fell to a ghastly 1–15 record.
That's to say that the expectations for Miami in 2026 are not far off. Their over-under for victories on the season is 4.5, with oddsmakers forecasting the Dolphins as more likely to win four games or fewer at this juncture. Currently, the Dolphins are tied with the Arizona Cardinals as odds-on favorites to have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Jimmy Johnson likely looked at Jeff Hafley and said, "I've lived your pain."
Unfortunately, there'll be no Herschel Walker to send to the Minnesota Vikings for a (love)boatload of draft picks to help the Dolphins out of their mess. Regardless, there's still plenty to learn from a man who won back-to-back Super Bowls and saw his team win a third one just two years after he left. He was a winner everywhere he went, and his team-building acumen is the stuff of legend.
If Jeff Hafley delivers even one Super Bowl to Miami, the statue will be bigger than any statue ever erected in honor of a football coach. Stephen Ross will probably rename Hard Rock Stadium into Jeff Hafley's Big Chill (with Johnson's approval, of course) to make the full-circle moment obnoxiously omnipresent.
In all seriousness, Miamians have wished for years that coaches would lean on Jimmy Johnson's wisdom. The elder statesman has a wealth of knowledge that simply can't be replicated, and has a clear place in his heart for South Florida. He wants to see Miami develop into a winner.
A summer lunch meetup won't mean much to fans in late November if the Dolphins are 1–10. At that point, Hafley will likely be revisiting Key Largo to ask Johnson: "How do you keep a locker room from tearing apart at the seams in the midst of a 10-game losing streak?" The response will likely be something about staying the course.
Jimmy Johnson is a testament to building a well-structured program and knowing, with conviction, that the results will come. If he can impart any of that wisdom to the Dolphins' new braintrust, the results will come — even if it's not in 2026.
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