Miami Dolphins Fire Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Last week, the Miami Dolphins decided to part ways with head coach Mike McDaniel, and tight end Darren Waller found himself right in the center of the news. “I was at the crime scene, brother. I think I was the last person to see him before he was fired,” Waller shared on Johnny Manziel’s podcast.
During a recent retirement press conference, Waller recounted a discussion he had with McDaniel about the 2026 season. This conversation took an unexpected turn when owner Stephen Ross “kicked the door open” just ten minutes in.
“I think he came in and joined the conversation,” Waller said. “We were reminiscing about the current year, and then Stephen Ross mentioned he’d love to have you back next year.” After a brief pause, things shifted.
Waller noted that Ross gave him a certain look, which Manziel seemed to pick up on. “It’s time to really get out of there,” Manziel chuckled as he recalled the moment.
Once he stepped out of the meeting, Waller took some time for himself and later found out about McDaniel’s firing. “I thought, ‘This is cold,'” he remarked.
The decision came after a disappointing season where the Dolphins finished 7-10 and failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Coach Ross expressed the need for “comprehensive change.” McDaniel had led the Dolphins to playoff appearances in his first two seasons but was eliminated in the first round both times. This past season ended with an unexpected last-game loss to the New York Jets, sealing the team’s fate.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa described McDaniel’s final season as rocky, noting his struggles that led to sitting out the last three games of the season. In one of McDaniel’s last major decisions, he stated there would be a quarterback competition for the upcoming season, a move Tagovailoa seemed to welcome, admitting he was open to a “fresh start” elsewhere.
Besides searching for a new head coach, the Dolphins also need to find a solid replacement for long-time general manager Chris Grier, who was let go midway through the season.
