Mike McDaniel got to watch Jayle Waddle get paid, then Tua Tagovailoa, and then more money given to Tyreek Hill, now Stephen Ross is giving the head coach a raise and extension.
According to reports, the Miami Dolphins are extending McDaniel through the 2028 season, thus adding three years to his current deal. Since arriving in Miami, the often quirky coach has taken the Dolphins to back-to-back playoffs and has led the NFL in offense last season. His biggest test, however, will come in 2024.
An extension in Miami: https://t.co/iNFRtEswxW
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2024
The Dolphins have a hard schedule ahead of them and will spend more time out of Miami late in the season with several potential cold weather games on the list. McDaniel can't take the backdoor into the postseason this year and many feel the team won't start winning over detractors until McDaniel takes the team deep into the playoffs, that also includes winning a division title.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has a bad history of giving head coaches early extensions.
McDaniel's extension does not mean he will be around in 2028 should the Dolphins regress, but it does give Ross more continuity and less worry about the position. Ross has a history of keeping head coaches for too long and giving extensions that were not needed. He gave Joe Philbin a one-year extension to keep him in Miami until 2016. Philbin was fired during the 2015 season. Early in his ownership career, he also gave Tony Sparano a two-year extension that would have kept him in Miami through the 2013 season. He was fired in 2011. Jeff Ireland also received a one-year extension and was fired before the end of the year.
McDaniel, however, hits different. He has a good football mind and the players relate to him well. The Dolphins still need to win and one of the benefits to giving him a deal now is it removes any doubt the Dolphins are committed to him.