Stephen Ross wanted to keep Mike McDaniel as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He didn't add him to the NFL list of coaches fired on Black Monday. The rumors out of Miami were that McDaniel was going to stay. So what changed?
On Monday, the Dolphins kicked off their official search for a new GM. On Friday, they hired Chris Grier's replacement. They hosted as many as six candidates in the days after the season ended, and announced on Wednesday that they had reduced that number to four. A day later, McDaniel was fired, and a day after that, they hired Jon-Eric Sullivan.
McDaniel was supposed to be an outside opinion on the next GM. A voice only if asked, a presence not involved in the actual interview process. The topic of how the Dolphins were going to change their future was leaving McDaniel out of the conversation.
Mike McDaniel just got the worst endorsement from the Miami Dolphins' GM
Forget the "nice guy" persona, and clearly forget the love for the coach by Ross. Something was said, most likely repeatedly, during those interviews. Something was brought to the table that Ross couldn't ignore. We will never know the truth, but connecting the dots from one day to another could reveal that none of those GMs were especially keen on keeping the head coach.
Miami needed a clean break. They need to start over again. Brian Flores deserved a 5th year with the Dolphins more than McDaniel did.
GM candidates interviewing with Stephen Ross and other key decision makers were asked to detail their evaluation of Mike McDaniel as head coach, sources say.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 8, 2026
They were also asked to outline their list of potential coaching candidates.
Lots of information was collected.
Somewhere in this equation is a head coach now. John Harbaugh is available, and everyone is watching. There is speculation that both Mike Tomlin and Matt LeFleur could become available as well in the coming week. All are better options than McDaniel.
The Dolphins have made it clear they are not looking for a new head coach immediately. This is a first for the Stephen Ross-owned team. They will let the Sullivan have their say in the hiring. That is important, win or lose, it's accountability.
The Dolphins are venturing into uncharted waters, but those waters were created by GM interviews that seem to have pointed toward a McDaniel exit. Ross avoided the ugly optics of keeping Champ Kelly to work with McDaniel. He eliminated the optic of 49ers assistant Josh Williams, who had a lot of history with McDaniel in San Francisco.
Lost in all of this is the fact that Ross made the right decision for his team. McDaniel didn't lose his locker room; he didn't lose the trust of ownership; he simply wasn't good enough at his job. The true reality was that the Dolphins were the only team to interview McDaniel four years ago. There is a reason for that. It was fun, at times, while it lasted, but the Dolphins need more, and McDaniel wasn't it. Somewhere in those interviews, Ross learned that as well.