Black Monday has come and gone in the NFL, and still, Mike McDaniel remains on as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. And while the organization has not announced McDaniel's status either way, all indications point to him staying on as HC.
It was a telling sign when McDaniel made it to his afternoon press conference still employed, to which he stated he believes his job is safe and that he will be a part of the Dolphins' search for a new general manager.
It's a frustrating situation for many Dolphins fans, with owner Stephen Ross once again addressing the matter with a half-in approach rather than fully rebuilding. Moreover, by keeping McDaniel on staff, Ross is showcasing his belief that McDaniel should not be held accountable for Miami's failures. That instead, that responsibility falls on the Dolphins' former GM and their multi-million-dollar quarterback.
Keeping Mike McDaniel proves Stephen Ross hasn't or refuses to learn his lesson
Throughout Ross' tenure as the Dolphins' owner, Miami has never done a full rebuild of its football team. Either the general manager is fired, and the new one has to work with the head coach given to them, or vice versa. At no point has Ross accepted the idea of bringing in both in the same offseason, or at least hiring a new GM to bring in their selected head coach. And at 85 years old, it doesn't look like he's going to change his mind.
The writing was on the wall that this time around would be different. Chris Grier was finally relieved of his duties as general manager midway through the season. It was long overdue, but it had to happen. McDaniel was not fired along with Grier, but it was brushed aside that he would be following another drastic performance or after the season. Admittedly, even I fell victim to this mentality and was assured that McDaniel would not be Miami's head coach in 2026.
Yet, when it comes to the Miami Dolphins, expect the unexpected. And while that phrase usually stems from some type of positive spin, when it comes to the Dolphins, there's typically always a negative connotation attached.
McDaniel's comments from Monday point to him returning for a fifth season as the Dolphins' HC. His remarks about being involved in the GM search may have been more mendacious, but he's nonetheless set to be Miami's longest tenured head coach since Dave Wannstedt in the early 2000s.
But why?
The Mike McDaniel experiment has failed in South Florida. The Dolphins have failed under his leadership in big games. In most of them, the Dolphins weren't even prepared. He's continued to have issues getting plays in on time, winning challenges, and Miami's third-quarter performances this season alone were beyond embarrassing, among several other issues under McDaniel's regime.
McDaniel, Grier, and Tua Tagovailoa have been at the forefront of Miami's problems as of late, and why the organization's lack of a postseason win now stands at 25 years and counting. Grier is out, and following Tua's benching in the last month of the year, he's on his way out as well. Yet, McDaniel is being kept on to potentially groom and develop Miami's next franchise QB.
However, among the three, McDaniel is the one who should be held most accountable for the Dolphins' current position. While Grier was known to throw big money at players from other teams, he was fairly hesitant to do so with Miami's players internally. And Tagovailoa was no different.
Mike McDaniel is most responsible for Tua Tagovailoa's hefty contract
In the summer of 2024, Tua and the Dolphins were at a standstill on a potential contract extension. On Miami's side, the hesitation was warranted. Tagovailoa had led the league in passing yards, but he'd already mulled retirement because of his concussion history and hadn't delivered on winning big games. For some, including Miami's three-point loss in Buffalo in the postseason, he wasn't even available. Questions remained (and rightfully so) whether Tua could be the guy for the long haul.
But after seeing a few practices without Tua that summer, it was McDaniel who pushed the front office to get a deal done. And just days before training camp, the Dolphins and Tagovailoa agreed on a four-year, $212 million extension. It's essentially the second time that McDaniel said he could win with Tua. He did so upon his hiring in 2022, and he attached himself to Tua's hip by backing him on his big payday.
Now, it's clear that was the wrong decision. Fast forward to the present day, Tua's benching in favor of rookie seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers showed that the Dolphins are ready to move on from the former No. 5 overall pick. Ridding themselves of Tua's contract, however, will not be easy.
Miami could release Tagovailoa outright and be forced to eat over $99 million in dead cap, either over one season or the span of two. The Dolphins could also look for a potential trade partner, but given the magnitude of Tua's contract, they may be forced to add additional draft capital to sweeten the deal in any move. As a team needing to rebuild, parting with high draft capital just to get rid of a player is not in any way a good look.
Had Miami opted not to sign Tagovailoa to an extension, the Dolphins could have simply allowed him to play on his fifth-year option and watched him walk after this year. Or they may have even been able to swing a deal to bring in high draft picks and/or an impact player.
Dolphins have no direction with Mike McDaniel still on as head coach
Now, the Dolphins are in a position where 2026 is a lost season. Without McDaniel, this could be acceptable, as Miami could be looking at a top-five pick by this time next year with a different direction in mind, but a direction nonetheless. By keeping McDaniel, though, the Dolphins are voluntarily leaving themselves in purgatory, with nothing made clear.
In addition to being one of the worst teams in the NFL next year, the Dolphins are also one of the worst in terms of cap space. The new GM will have their work cut out for them on that front, but McDaniel knows his seat is going to be the hottest of the hot going into next season.
The Dolphins' 2026 opponents will be some of the toughest, but McDaniel is going to do everything in his power to win games to stay on as head coach, just as he did in the back half of this season. If that means holding off on longevity in favor of short-term rewards, so be it.
Unfortunately, 2026 won't be about winning games for the Dolphins. It should be about evaluating talent and developing the younger players. Those younger players will include the five within the top 100 that Miami picks this coming April in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The sad reality, though, is that these will be players that McDaniel will have his hand in selecting, whom he feels will best fit his system. Yet, as a man on borrowed time in South Florida already, it will feel like a waste of picks if these players are unable to mesh into the system of McDaniel's eventual predecessor. By letting McDaniel go now, the new Dolphins GM and his HC can select the players they feel best can fit what they are trying to accomplish.
Chances of McDaniel being fired now are slim
There remains some sliver of hope that McDaniel will not be the head coach in 2026. However, after being allowed to have the press conference one day after the Dolphins' regular-season finale, as well as the list of GM candidates Miami plans to bring in, it would be surprising at this point if he isn't.
And that is why the Dolphins, to this point, cannot be considered a serious organization. Ross likes McDaniel enough to keep him, even if he knows it's not what is best for the team. If he's oblivious to the fact, then Ross, at minimum, is showing he has no interest in listening to the fans or those around him that McDaniel should be gone.
The recent firing of Ravens' HC John Harbaugh may be enough to convince Ross to consider moving on from McDaniel in favor of him, but there is no reason to believe he would choose Miami over several other openings.
It took Ross too long to let Grier go, and now he's ready to do the same with McDaniel. Miami's 2026 season is shaping up to be a tough one, and if the Dolphins get off to another slow start like they did this year, Ross could finally pull the trigger then and let McDaniel go. By then, though, it will be too late.
The Dolphins will have already drafted McDaniel's players and signed veterans to align with his game plan. The entire 2026 season will have been wasted, and the Dolphins will be forced to start over in 2027 -- when the writing was already clear that it's what they should be doing already.
The franchise will then ask the fan base to continue being patient. But patience has worn thin or disappeared altogether for several already. It's time to see results. At the very least, attempt to make the changes necessary for those results. If not, it's all just a waste of time.
Sadly, by keeping McDaniel on as the Dolphins' head coach, Ross is essentially doing just that and wasting all of our time.