The Miami Dolphins announced their decision to move on from head coach Mike McDaniel after four seasons. The news comes after the Dolphins missed the playoffs for their second consecutive season and had their worst record since 2019.
Miami started the year off slow as they went 1-6 through seven games; however, the team had a remarkable turnaround in the second half as they won five out of six games. Unfortunately, the team’s 7-10 record was not deemed good enough for owner Stephen Ross to retain McDaniel for the 2026 season.
This was surprising as NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport had recently reported that McDaniel was expected to return for the 2026 season.
Tyreek Hill Sends Message
Following the news of Mike McDaniel’s dismissal, All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill took to social media to post a GIF of comedian Kevin Hart saying “damn”.
Additionally, Hill responded to Fox Sports Radio host Mark Gunnells who posted that McDaniel was his No. 1 target for the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator position. Hill said, “Mike don’t fit y’all scheme buddy sorry to tell ya.”
Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill were paired for four seasons. One of the first moves Mike McDaniel made as the Dolphins head coach was to tell general manager Chris Grier to acquire him once Miami was in trade talks with the Chiefs. Under McDaniel, Hill had the two best receiving seasons of his career. In 2022, Hill set a new Dolphins franchise record with 1,710 receiving yards and earned a top-10 MVP finish and was selected as a first-team All-Pro. In 2023, Hill once again set a Dolphins franchise record with 1,799 receiving yards, another top-10 MVP finish and another first-team All-Pro. For his efforts in the 2023 season, Tyreek Hill was named by his peers as the league’s best player in NFL Network’s annual top 100 players list.
Tyreek Hill’s future with the Dolphins remains to be seen. Despite being under contract, insiders expect the Dolphins to part ways with him following the dislocated knee he suffered this year. Regardless of whether Hill returns to the Dolphins, his partnership with Mike McDaniel is over in Miami.
Mike McDaniel’s Tenure in Miami
Aside from two statistically dominant seasons by Hill, the pair produced winning football in Miami. The Dolphins made the playoffs in their first two seasons with McDaniel and Hill, which marked the first time Miami had made back-to-back postseason appearances since the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Unfortunately, in 2024 the team took a step back as the Dolphins were without their starting quarterback for a majority of the season. Then in Week 4 of the 2025 season, Hill dislocated his knee and missed the remainder of the season.
Ultimately, with McDaniel and Hill the Dolphins provided some exciting moments. They emphasized players with speed, which resulted in the team providing weekly highlights. Unfortunately, the Dolphins failed to snap the team’s playoff win drought as they went 0-2 in their two playoff games.
Tyreek Hill Sends Message After Dolphins Fire Mike McDaniel