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Dolphins Head Coach Predicted To Be on the Hot Seat

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Thomas Valentine | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 3:15 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins suffered in 2024. The team lost its starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, to injury once again and fell to an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Heading into the 2025 season, it’s hard to tell what direction the Dolphins are pulling in.

Knowing what direction they want to be heading in is simple. This front office and roster are in a win-now mode. They gave Tagovailoa a four-year extension worth $212.4 million, and the offense was one of the best in the NFL for the last two years. But there’s a lot of heat on this team now.

The front office traded away Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith for Minkah Fitzpatrick, downgrading the defense while giving away Smith, who led the team in catches in 2024, and there are rumblings that there’s dysfunction in the locker room. Believing that the team will be better in 2025 is a tall order, and that leaves head coach Mike McDaniel on the hot seat.

Per Matt Johnson of Yahoo Sports, McDaniel enters the 2025 season as one of the likeliest coaches to be fired. In an article ranking NFL coaches who are the most likely to be fired in 2025, McDaniel sits fourth out of seven head coaches, meaning there’s considerable heat for the fourth-year coach.

“Tua Tagovailoa helped make this Dolphins offense look like one of the most unstoppable units in the NFL. After two seasons, Mike McDaniel had a 20-14 record with consecutive playoff appearances,” Johnson writes. “However, following a disastrous 2024 campaign, he is widely viewed as one of the NFL coaches most likely to be fired.”

Before McDaniel’s hiring in 2021, the Dolphins had back-to-back winning seasons under Brian Flores, but hadn’t made the postseason since 2016. The Dolphins have made the playoffs just six times in the 21st century, but McDaniel’s 28-23 record in his three seasons has given Dolphins fans hope.

Despite that hope, the offense, even with Tagovailoa healthy, took a considerable step back in 2024, and the gap between them and the AFC elite seems to have stretched this offseason. A lot is riding on the 2025 season, but Johnson laid out the terms that could spell the end for McDaniel.

“A disastrous season might get him fired, but eight or more wins likely would be enough for Ross.” Johnson finished with.

Eight wins are more than attainable for this Dolphins team, especially when the Dolphins are tied for 21st in strength of schedule in 2025, but if things go awry in 2025, there could be some big changes in Miami next offseason.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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