What Dolphins, Chris Grier divorce reportedly means for Mike McDaniel

Whispers surfaced before the Miami Dolphins fell to 2-7 on the season via an ugly 28-6 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross could soon fire general manager Chris Grier and/or head coach Mike McDaniel.

McDaniel spoke with reporters on Friday morning as part of a previously scheduled media obligation. Soon after McDaniel discussed what went wrong for his club on Thursday evening, Ross announced that the Dolphins and Grier had "mutually" agreed to part ways. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, sources revealed that "McDaniel will remain Miami’s head coach for the remainder of the season at least." 

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"As I assessed the state of the team and in my discussions with Chris, it became clear to both of us that change could not wait," Ross said in a statement shared by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now."

Senior personnel executive Champ Kelly will take over as the Dolphins' interim general manager. It's believed that Miami could make several players available to other teams before the trade deadline arrives at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 4.  

Grier took over as Dolphins general manager in 2016, and the club subsequently failed to make the playoffs from the 2017 season through the 2021 campaign. Meanwhile, McDaniel notched zero postseason wins over his first three seasons in charge before the ongoing campaign turned into an absolute disaster for the club. 

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One would assume McDaniel knew about the Grier news when the coach spoke with Dolphins reporters via Zoom on Friday morning. During that news conference, a media member asked McDaniel if he still believed his message was getting through to Miami players amid what's quickly becoming a season to forget for the franchise. 

"I think the message is getting through," McDaniel said during his response, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "For various reasons... sometimes those details are being lost in the heat of battle. We did it the week before [versus the Atlanta Falcons] but didn’t do it this week." 

Miami's surprising 34-10 win at the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 26 ultimately meant nothing regarding Thursday night's contest. Nevertheless, it appears McDaniel will begin preparing for the Dolphins' home game versus the Buffalo Bills (5-2) on Nov. 9.