The Miami Dolphins announced they have added former Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman on Tuesday. That wasn't the name most fans were hoping for.
Darren Rizzi is still looking for a job. The Dolphins' former special teams coordinator was the interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints and is now waiting for someone to add him to their staff. We know it won't be the Dolphins. What we don't know is why.
According to Outkick's Armando Salguero on Tuesday, the Dolphins never reached out to Rizzi about the vacancy and that says a lot about their search, or perhaps lack of.
If the best available coach isn't pursued, what does that say about the Dolphins organization and Mike McDaniel? Was he not a fit for McDaniel? Was he someone that might put McDaniel in a position to watch over his shoulder as a potential replacement? Maybe the Dolphins are clueless and didn't think he would bring an upgrade to the unit.
On the other hand, was the parting of ways an ugly split we know nothing about? Rizzi was in Miami from 2009 through the 2018 season. He was the special teams coordinator for nine of those seasons and, in his final two, was also the assistant head coach.
Rizzi was good at his job and many thought he should have been a serious consideration for the head coaching vacancy after Adam Gase was fired. There has been speculation that Rizzi wasn't thrilled with the fact Miami didn't seriously consider him. Instead, Stephen Ross and Chris Grier went with Brian Flores instead. Flores hired Danny Crossman to replace Rizzi.
Darren Rizzi would have made sense for Miami Dolphins, but that bridge may have burned
The Dolphins would have been in a great position had they signed Rizzi but there is smoke there from burning embers left over from his departure. Consider that at no time has Rizzi been mentioned as a coach who could return to the Dolphins despite Miami having an opening. That says a lot more than we could possibly know.