Mike McDaniel’s Job Status: How the Dolphins’ Late-Season Surge Is Shaping His Future
Just over a month ago, the Miami Dolphins looked like a team in transition-and not in the good way. Sitting at 2-7, they’d just parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier, and speculation was swirling around head coach Mike McDaniel’s job security. But fast forward three weeks, and the conversation around McDaniel is starting to shift-and not just because of the team’s performance on the field.
Since Grier’s departure on October 31, the Dolphins have rattled off three straight wins, pushing their record to 5-7 and keeping their playoff hopes technically alive heading into Week 14. While the postseason still feels like a long shot, the turnaround has been enough to at least pause the hot-seat talk surrounding McDaniel-especially within the walls of the Dolphins’ facility.
Ownership Still Believes in McDaniel
According to league insiders, there’s a growing belief that McDaniel may be coaching his way into a longer runway in Miami. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is reportedly still a believer in McDaniel’s potential, and that belief could carry real weight as the team enters what’s expected to be a significant transition period.
McDaniel hasn’t delivered a playoff win since taking over in 2022, and that’s a sticking point. But what’s kept him in the building-and possibly earned him more time-is the fact that he hasn’t lost the locker room.
Even when the team was 2-7 and the season looked like it was slipping away, players were still bought in. That kind of locker room cohesion matters, especially when a franchise is trying to reestablish its identity.
There’s also the reality that the current head coaching candidate pool isn’t viewed as particularly deep. That could work in McDaniel’s favor. If ownership still sees him as a coach who can grow with the roster, and if the alternatives don’t offer a clear upgrade, it makes sense to stay the course-at least for now.
Could Big Names Shift the Landscape?
Of course, nothing in the NFL is ever set in stone. There are still four games left in the regular season, and how Miami finishes could ultimately decide McDaniel’s fate. If the Dolphins collapse down the stretch, the conversation could shift again.
And then there’s the wildcard: coaching availability. If coaches like Kevin Stefanski or Mike Tomlin were to hit the market after the season, that could complicate things. Those are proven names with playoff résumés-something McDaniel doesn’t yet have.
But unless the Dolphins completely unravel between now and Week 18, the expectation around the league is that McDaniel will be back in 2026. That’s not a guarantee-but it’s a far cry from where things stood in early November.
What’s Next for the Dolphins?
Miami heads to New York this Sunday to face the 3-9 Jets-a game that, on paper, is winnable. DraftKings has the Dolphins as 2.5-point favorites, though the margin is slim.
The bigger issue? The playoff odds.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Miami has just a 0.2% chance of making the postseason.
Still, this is about more than just playoff math. It’s about momentum, culture, and whether McDaniel can continue to show that he’s the right guy to lead this team through whatever comes next. The final stretch of the season won’t just be about wins and losses-it’ll be a referendum on McDaniel’s ability to guide a team through adversity and come out stronger on the other side.
For now, he’s still standing. And with each win, the case for keeping him gets a little stronger.