What To Think About Mike McDaniel Not Getting Fired

Mike McDaniel is a weird dude.
Quirky. Awkward. Says things that make you tilt your head a little. Doesn’t sound like a “football guy” half the time. And depending on the day, that either feels refreshing or incredibly frustrating.

Well, Black Monday came and went, and Mike McDaniel is still the Dolphins’ head coach. And that probably tells us more than anything else could. You don’t need a press conference or some dramatic announcement to read between the lines here. McDaniel is talking like a guy who expects to be back. He’s acting like a guy who expects to be back. And the fact that the Dolphins didn’t pull the trigger today makes it feel like he’s probably going to be back next season.

Now, how do I feel about that?

It's complicated...

My emotions with Mike McDaniel over the last few years have been all over the place, and I’m sure I’m not alone. At his best, he unlocked Tua in a way that was genuinely special to watch. No matter where you stand on Tua now, when he was at his peak nobody can deny: he was electric. Leading the league in passing yards. Getting the ball out insanely fast. Running an offense that actually felt modern, creative, and dangerous. I really believe McDaniel maximized Tua in a way that very few coaches could, and that wasn’t an accident.

But at the same time, you have to say that McDaniel has also been part of the Dolphins’ downfall in recent years. Look at what happened when Tua went down and they were forced to play with a backup. McDaniel had no answers! He couldn't adjust whatsoever. And what happened when the league figured out how to defend the eye-candy of the pre-snap motion at the end of the '23 season? That was it! The Dolphins were lost with nowhere to go. So both things can be true. He helped raise the ceiling… and somehow the floor still caved in.

And yet, you look back at moments like the 1–7 stretch, when the season looked completely dead, and the team somehow clawed its way back and finished strong. That matters. That kind of turnaround doesn’t just happen by accident.

But here’s where I start questioning how much credit McDaniel actually deserves for that.

How Much of the turnaround Was Really Him?

McDaniel has said it himself — many times — that he lets the leaders of the team lead. He stays out of the locker room during the emotional highs and lows. He’s not the guy giving some movie-style speech to fire everyone up. He just lets the guys in the locker room deal with it themselves. So when the Dolphins go from completely deflated to suddenly playing with heart again, how much of that is McDaniel, and how much of that is just the players refusing to quit?

Now, don’t get me wrong — that is a coaching style. And there are real advantages to it. Empowering leaders, giving players ownership etc. I get it. But if that’s the case, then it also feels a little strange to give McDaniel full credit for resuscitating the team mid-season. If he’s intentionally hands-off in those moments, then doesn’t most of that credit belong to the guys on the field?

All that said — I don’t think bringing McDaniel back for one more year is an awful idea. The guy clearly has a wild offensive mind. That hasn’t gone away. And next season actually feels like the perfect year to continue the McDaniel experiment — especially without Tua (if they were to move on from him).

Worst-case scenario, you cut bait mid-season or after the year, and you fully reset in 2027. This upcoming year sure seems like a transition year anyway — a year where you can experiment across the organization, see what sticks, and stop pretending you have all the answers. Having a head coach in place who you’re still evaluating actually makes sense in that context. There’s very little downside.

None of this means McDaniel is guaranteed to be back. The NFL is weird. Things change fast. All it takes is one surprise firing (in Baltimore?), one unexpected opportunity, and suddenly the Dolphins’ plans shift entirely. If a big-name coach becomes available and Miami thinks they can pull him to South Beach, that’s a totally different conversation.

But based on what’s out there right now?
Based on the fact that Black Monday came and went with nothing on the Dolphins?

Sticking with Mike McDaniel for another year doesn’t feel reckless. It actually feels reasonable.