The Miami Dolphins were the only team to interview Mike McDaniel for a head coaching job. They may be the only ones to ever give him that shot.
In the NFL, the coaching carousel turns quickly from year to year, and even good head coaches find themselves looking for work when they are not producing results. In the case of McDaniel, he isn't producing, and apparently, there are veterans who are done with his "good-ole-boy" routine.
McDaniel was hard to dislike when the Dolphins signed him. He was different; he still is different. He had an easy way about him, and the players related to him. But in the NFL, if you're not winning or giving players big dollars, the schtick wears out quickly.
A new report from NFL insider Tony Pauline suggests that the veteran players on the roster are growing tired of McDaniel's coaching style, which is why so many have left in free agency.
"Multiple sources tell me the main reason is that Mike McDaniel has rubbed a lot of the veterans the wrong way after early success with the team, and they'd rather play elsewhere than stay in Miami at this point," writes Pauline.
"They fell to 8-9 last year, and people inside the league tell me the team has regressed further."
Mike McDaniel is under immense pressure entering a make-or-break season with Dolphins
It's too early to say whether McDaniel has lost the team yet, but where there is smoke, there are burning embers. The Dolphins lost Calais Campbell this offseason because he took more money to go to Arizona. Some took that as a slight toward the Dolphins, who should be closer to competing than the Cardinals.
The Dolphins gave more money to Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey last year and now, a year later, the Dolphins and Ramsey want to part ways.
Pauline may be reporting that players have grown tired of McDaniel, but in reality, it doesn't matter. Once Ramsey is traded, the only longtime NFL veteran on the roster is Bradley Chubb. Chubb will be gone after the 2025 season. Hill could be gone by the trade deadline, and the rest of the roster consists of players either new to the team or who have only been around for a few years.
One thing is for certain: if McDaniel doesn't win this year, his time in Miami will likely come to an end.