
<p>The Miami Dolphins have parted ways with head coach <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/coach/mike-mcdaniel-133671/">Mike McDaniel</a></strong>, the organization announced Thursday morning. Across four seasons, McDaniel led Miami to a 35-33 record and two postseason appearances (2022 & 2023).</p>



<p>McDaniel, hailed as one of the greatest offensive minds in the NFL, will likely latch on with another organization quickly. He released a statement shortly after it was announced that he had been let go.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/JNyw6TiFYn">pic.twitter.com/JNyw6TiFYn</a></p>— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/2009305038565376360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2026</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>“Coaching this team and being a part of this great franchise has been the honor of a lifetime,” McDaniel said. “When I took this job, I had a vision of a team that was bonded together and played with passion and energy on the path to winning championships. I gave everything I had for that goal. I am disappointed, especially for the fans, that we did not have better results on the field, but I am grateful for every coach, player, and staff member who poured themselves into that vision alongside me.</p>



<p>“I’m grateful to (Chairman and Owner) <strong>Stephen Ross</strong> for the opportunity he gave me, a little known coach at the time when he hired me. Most of all I’m thankful to my wife Katie and daughter Ayla for their unending love and support. I love this game, the people and relationships. that are a part of it, and I will forever cherish my time in Miami.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mike-mcdaniel-led-miami-to-two-playoff-appearances-in-four-seasons">Mike McDaniel led Miami to two Playoff appearances in four seasons</h2>



<p>McDaniel was named Miami’s new head coach, succeeding <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/coach/brian-flores-133116/">Brian Flores</a></strong>, prior to the 2022 season. He experienced immediate success, as he led the Dolphins to AFC Wild Card appearances in both 2022 and 2023. Both of those games, however, resulted in losses. The 2022 loss to the Buffalo Bills was a heartbreaking 34-31 defeat, but the 2023 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was more thorough (26-7).</p>



<p>“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of a comprehensive change,” <strong>Stephen Ross</strong> <a href="https://x.com/MiamiDolphins/status/2009289106388336970?s=20">said in a statement</a>. “I informed <strong>Mike McDaniel</strong> this morning that he has been relieved off is duties as head coach. I love Mike and want to thank him for his hard work, commitment, and the energy he brought to our organization. Mike is an incredible creative football mind whose passion for the game and his players was evident every day. I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”</p>



<p>In the two seasons since their last postseason appearance, the Dolphins have compiled a 15-19 record and finished second (2024) and third (2025) in the AFC East. The organization will now go in a different direction under new leadership.</p>


Mike-McDaniel-releases-statement-after-firing-by-Miami-Dolphins

5GOATs

Mike McDaniel releases statement after firing by Miami Dolphins

team image

Pro News

NFL News

NFL Draft News

NASCAR

NBA News

NBA Draft News

Culture

Sports Betting

About

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback

New court date set

Charles Bediako case

Confusion on who pays

Player Buyouts

Power struggle over CFP format

B1G-SEC

Dives into Alabama rivalry

Alex Golesh

Calls out coaches for Bediako

Jay Bilas