Best of luck to the Miami Dolphins if they hope to find a head coach on this cycle of candidates who's better than the man they just fired, Mike McDaniel.
News broke of McDaniel's exit from Miami on Thursday, and in the immediate aftermath, he became the hottest offensive coordinator candidate on the market at the very least.
I contend that McDaniel should be in line for another head coaching gig right away. Any team in the market for a new hire to lead their team would be foolish not to at least inquire and interview the man. In fact, he already has an interview lined up with the Tennessee Titans for their open HC job next week.
In a lot of ways, McDaniel was almost too good at his job to last in Miami. And admittedly, his tenure had run its course, and the Dolphins needed a fresh face as they embark upon a massive rebuild. But to put any significant blame for what went wrong on McDaniel feels misguided at best.
Why Mike McDaniel was extremely underrated during turbulent Miami Dolphins tenure
Here's the key bit from ESPN's Adam Schefter that has me thinking Mike McDaniel could easily land on his feet with another job as a head coach in 2026:
And now, so far, after Mike McDaniel’s firing today, 25 percent of the NFL is changing head coaches. https://t.co/GMdaKJC3aR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2026
Other than John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, and Mike McCarthy possibly angling for his third opportunity, which past head coaches, other than McDaniel, are great options to fill any of the eight vacancies?
There are other retread options, but other than a dark horse like Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, who's the big name that everyone will be chasing? There's no brilliant offensive mind or defensive genius available. It's a rough cycle.
While Harbaugh is sure to land a lead job after 18 mostly successful seasons for the Ravens, it's not guaranteed that Stefanski will. And who knows how motivated McCarthy is these days.
Mike McDaniel has everything to prove. The GM he was tied to from Day 1, Chris Grier, willfully neglected the offensive line at almost every turn, which sabotaged McDaniel's ability to get the running game where he wanted it to be. It thrived despite Grier's deficient personnel provided.
Then there's the Tua Tagovailoa of it all. McDaniel was so good at adapting to Tua's strengths that he had him as the NFL's leader in passing yards a mere two seasons ago. Major injuries and multiple concussions were what derailed Tua's career and triggered his massive regression i n2025, not necessarily anything McDaniel did or didn't do scheme-wise.
Speaking of Tua's concussions, remember back to when McDaniel led the Fins to the playoffs in his maiden season. They went to Buffalo with a rookie seventh-round pick in Skylar Thompson starting under center, and almost beat the Bills before falling 34-31.
The next year, Miami went back to the postseason, only to encounter a literally-historically freezing-cold game. In addition to the Dolphins' o-line missing multiple key starters, they were signing dudes off the street to play on the edge of their defensive line. This was at Arrowhead Stadium against the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
McDaniel struggled to find a consistent defensive coordinator during his tenure. Some of that is on him, yet Vic Fangio's departure for Philly after that second playoff trip was more due to Fangio's desire to be closer to family. And then, of course, there were the reports of discord between the old-school Fangio and the younger Miami players who weren't that jazzed about his system.
All that to say, McDaniel did everything in his power to turn the Dolphins around, and in large part because he helped Tua so much, he wound up with the short end of the stick in the end.
Whether it's a new team with an established QB like the Ravens, or a team on the cusp with a QB who could use a confidence boost like the Falcons, McDaniel is an appealing option for just about any vacancy.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins will struggle to attract a splashy name amid their current mess, which, contrary to popular belief, had very little to do with McDaniel's capacity as a coach or his ability to lead men.