The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel after a 7-10 season, and it didn’t take long for San Francisco 49ers fans and media to start connecting dots back to Kyle Shanahan.
McDaniel has deep roots with Shanahan and the 49ers organization, which is why some 49ers social media accounts immediately floated the idea of him returning to Santa Clara in some capacity. For now, it’s just chatter, but the timing is real, and the coaching carousel is moving fast.
Key details
- Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel after a 7-10 finish.
- McDaniel went 35-33 in Miami and previously signed an extension in 2024.
- He has a long coaching history alongside Kyle Shanahan, including stops with San Francisco.
Dolphins Fire Mike McDaniel After 7-10 Finish
McDaniel’s exit became official Thursday after Miami closed the season 7-10, with the year effectively derailed by a brutal early stretch that put them in a hole.
Reuters reported Dolphins owner Stephen Ross met with McDaniel earlier in the week and ultimately decided the organization needed broad changes. The move came despite the fact McDaniel had agreed to a contract extension in August 2024, and despite a Miami tenure that included two early postseason trips and a 35-33 overall record.
In other words: this wasn’t a one-game decision. It was a franchise reset.
Why 49ers Fans Immediately Brought Up a Reunion
The 49ers tie is obvious: McDaniel’s coaching rise is intertwined with Shanahan’s, and he’s worked with him across multiple stops. Niners Nation noted that background — including McDaniel’s time in San Francisco — as part of the context for why his name instantly popped in 49ers circles after the firing.
That history matters because NFL coaching moves aren’t always linear. Fired head coaches often resurface quickly as coordinators, senior assistants, or “offensive consultant” types, especially when they have prior trust with a head coach.
And Shanahan’s tree is one of the league’s most active pipelines, both in terms of assistants leaving for bigger jobs and familiar faces cycling back in.
YES or NO – Would you want Mike McDaniel back on the #49ers 2026 coaching staff? 🤔
What It Could Mean for San Francisco’s Staff Picture
There’s one big caveat: a possible 49ers return only becomes “real” if there’s an actual fit and an opening.
But the broader timing lines up with the annual league-wide shuffle, and Miami has already been poking around the 49ers ecosystem. Earlier this week, it was reported the Dolphins requested interviews with multiple 49ers front office members as the hiring cycle ramped up.
That’s not directly connected to McDaniel potentially landing in San Francisco, but it reinforces the same point: this is the moment of the calendar when teams raid each other’s staffs and personnel departments, and when relationships matter.
If the 49ers lose assistants to coordinator jobs elsewhere, or if Shanahan decides he wants another experienced offensive voice in the building, McDaniel will be one of the more recognizable names on the market with a long-standing connection to the building.
What Happens Next for McDaniel and the 49ers
The most likely next step is McDaniel taking a beat, then weighing opportunities across the league, and there should be plenty of interest. Head-coaching vacancies are piling up, and even if McDaniel isn’t immediately hired as a head coach again, teams looking for offensive structure will line up to talk.
From the 49ers’ side, nothing has been reported as a formal move or plan. For now, the story is simple: Miami made a major decision, and 49ers fans are doing what they always do this time of year, scanning the carousel for familiar names who could impact Shanahan’s staff in 2026.
49ers Reunion Could be in Store After Dolphins, Mike McDaniel News