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Dolphins Ask Permission to Interview Chris Shula

Originally posted on Dolphins Talk | By Mike Oliva | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 3:37 PM ET

Dolphins Ask Permission to Interview Chris Shula

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports the Miami Dolphins have requested to interview the grandson of Don Shula, Chris Shula, the current LA Rams defensive coordinator.

Shula was born and raised in Miami and is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Dave Shula.

He has spent time with the Chargers and mainly the LA Rams as an assistant coach, as he has worked his way up the coaching ranks.

He became the LA Rams defensive coordinator in 2024.

There is a lot of back and forth on Chris Shula in Miami. While he has obviously earned the right to become an NFL head coach, is Miami the best spot for him?

It would be a lot of pressure to be the head coach at the same place as his grandfather, where his grandfather became the NFL’s all-time winningest head coach, won 2 Super Bowls, and had a perfect season.

The comparisons to Don will start game one, season one, for Chris.

Would that pressure crush him and be too much for him?

That is the question the Dolphins and Chris have to consider.

Here’s a fun one: The Dolphins have requested an interview with Rams DC Chris Shula for their head coaching job, per source.

Shula — the grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula — is eligible to interview next week after the Rams’ wild card game. pic.twitter.com/5Iaq4tcQbz

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2026

With that said, Chris is a grown-ass man and knows what he is signing up for and what he is walking into.

So if he wants that pressure, and is ok with it, who is anyone else to say otherwise?

Just know, if he doesn’t win, the Dolphins organization will then have to FIRE a Shula, and the fans can’t be mad at that.

Because in the NFL, head coaches are hired to be fired, don’t believe me, ask John Harbaugh.

And it’s a results-oriented business, so yes, the Dolphins firing a Shula would be blasphemy, but if Chris didn’t cut it, you can’t hold that against the Dolphins if it ever came to that.

He would be a first time head coach, and he is a defensive coach so who is offensive coordinator would be is a question, but this would be the most interesting story this NFL offseason if the Dolphins have another Shula asa their head coach.

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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