Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is viewed as being on the hot seat, but it does not sound like his boss is inclined to make a change just yet.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Thursday that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross still has faith in McDaniel. Ross wants to give the coach a chance to turn things around even after going 8-9 and missing the playoffs in 2024 and starting out 0-2 this season.
“Stephen Ross, the Dolphins owner, does not want to fire Mike McDaniel. He doesn’t. He wants this to work,” Rapoport said. “He likes him. He believes in him. He has invested him, including giving him a contract extension last year. He still has two years and about $19M left after this year. Whenever (Ross) has had to, whenever possible, he has been patient.”
Although Rapoport believes Ross wants to stick with McDaniel, the reporter says there are a couple of things that could change that fairly quickly.
“My sense is nothing is imminent for the Dolphins on that front. However, there’s a caveat. That can change,” Rapoport added. “If fans suddenly stop showing up to the stadium or if players stop playing for him, that can alter the situation.”
Mike McDaniel is trying to hold the locker room together
Prior to the Dolphins’ Week 2 game against the New England Patriots, a plane flew over Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with a banner calling for McDaniel to be fired. The coach told reporters after his team’s tough 33-27 loss that he did not see the banner, but he said he understands why fans are frustrated — especially when a recent bombshell report indicated that there are concerning culture issues within the locker room.
There have been no signs to this point that McDaniel has lost the locker room. He sent Dolphins players a confident message following Sunday’s loss to New England, but it will get tougher and tougher for him to deliver those speeches if the losses continue to pile up.
The Dolphins have been going in the wrong direction
McDaniel led the Dolphins to a 9-8 record and a postseason appearance in his first year as head coach in 2022. Miami was even better in Year 2 under McDaniel, finishing 11-6 and getting back to the playoffs. The Dolphins lost in the first round both years, however.
Issues began to pile up quickly last season. There were reportedly internal issues that led to players being disciplined and fined. When teams are winning, those problems are not as magnified. Even if McDaniel is still well liked in Miami by those above and below him, winning is all that matters in the NFL. The 42-year-old seems unlikely to survive another losing season that does not end with a playoff berth.