The 2025 season has arrived, and the Miami Dolphins will soon be taking the field to kick off their regular season. With so much on the line, there are a lot of unwritten stories.
After an offseason that provided some weird situations from Tyreek Hill to comments made by former tight end Jonnu Smith, Miami may be looking at a critical season that could decide the futures of both Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier.
It is easy for the Dolphins fans to look at those two and see the sky falling over their careers. While most believe Grier will never be fired, but instead reassigned or perhaps retire, McDaniel is on a different level...but what if something else happened?
Stephen Ross in his weird world may declare Mike McDaniel safe no matter the Dolphins record.
There are a lot of things to say about Stephen Ross, and while some are great, others leave you questioning his decisions and throwing things at your computer. This year, you may find yourself in the market for a new computer.
In what could be one of the weirdest yet entirely possible scenarios, Ross might declare McDaniel safe long before the season comes to an end. McDaniel's original contract was set to expire after the 2025 season, but Ross gave him a 3 year extension before the 2024 season. While most wonder out loud if he regrets it, Ross won't ever say otherwise.
It would not be without precedent. Ross has gone off the charts over simple, meaningless late-season wins. He has stood in a locker room after a division win in a season where Miami has already been eliminated from the playoffs and declared his coach safe. This year, he could do the same for McDaniel.
Money is a big reason to keep McDaniel around. The extension he was given is fully guaranteed through the 2028 season, the same year that Tua Tagovailoa's deal comes to an end as well. Keeping McDaniel around isn't a problem, provided the team is winning, or at the very least improving. Still, it would be another weird play by Ross if he announces he will return amidst another ruined season. Hopefully, Miami will be winning and it won't matter.