The coach indicated that he will be in the process of hiring a general manager for the team
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — Mike McDanielcoach of the Dolphinsstated that he will participate in the interview process for the team’s next general manager and will remain the head coach until told otherwise.
Mike McDaniel He spent much of the 2025 season among the favorites to be fired, after Miami lost seven of its first nine games, but rebounded with a four-game winning streak, coming within one game of a .500 record. The Dolphins (7-10) finished with a losing record for the second straight season, which McDaniel called a “failure.”
When asked about the security of his job, the coach, who is in his fourth year on the job, said, “I understand that I am the coach of the Dolphins until I am told otherwise,” adding that he will speak with team owner Stephen Ross about how to move forward successfully.
“We will meet at the end of the week to discuss whatever is necessary,” McDaniel added Monday. “We both share the opinion that we are not where we want to be, and in this business, you have to have an action plan to improve performance. I think those conversations are very important and healthy, and I think the fans are counting on them to happen.
“We’re not just going to write off this season as ‘Oops, we’ll try again.’ No, it’s about attacking the problems, controlling what you can control and ultimately the need to improve this football team right now and put a plan in place to get there.”
A source told ESPN that the team trusted McDaniel during the difficulties of the Dolphins and suggested his problems were related to the quarterback. McDaniel made the starter Tua Tagovailoa after a loss in Week 15, in favor of the rookie Quinn Ewersselected in the seventh round of the draft.
Tagovailoa finished the season with his fewest passing yards since 2021 and a career-high 15 interceptions.
McDaniel confirmed that there will be a competition for the quarterback job in 2026, and that the team will be diligent in searching for its starter, either signing a new quarterback or turning to one already on the roster.
While McDaniel said he does not foresee a complete rebuild in 2026, he and the Dolphins They still have a difficult offseason ahead.
Tagovailoa and the wide receiver Tyreek Hillwho missed all but four games this season due to a knee dislocation, represent a combined $108.2 million cap hit in 2026. Trading both players without taking on the bulk of their salary will be difficult, and releasing them outright would result in a huge negative cap hit, but both players are unlikely to return in 2026 on their current contracts.
McDaniel said it will be Hill’s decision whether he wants to continue his career, and that the team will continue to “support his rehabilitation and have honest and ongoing conversations when he is ready to have them.”
Currently, it is projected that the Dolphins They are $6.4 million over the salary cap at the start of next season, but they own five picks in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. NFL 2026. McDaniel emphasized the importance of building through the draft, as he did Miami with its class of 2025.
“I think a 7-10 record isn’t enough; a 1-6 record certainly isn’t enough, but the response we saw from our football team came from somewhere,” McDaniel said. “Our job is to identify exactly the parts of the solution and build on that and nothing else. So I don’t see a complete reconstruction. What I see is a team that needs to make smart decisions and consolidate them so that the results are seen.”
Los Dolphins and the general manager Chris Grier They separated on October 31. Champ Kelly He has been serving as the team’s interim general manager. Three of the candidates mentioned to become the new general manager of the Dolphins They are executives of the San Francisco 49ers (Josh Williams, Tariq Ahmad y RJ Gillen) who coincided with McDaniel during his time in the franchise.
