Greg Cote: Flailing, failing Dolphins in latest reboot with Mike McDaniel firing

Greg Cote, Miami Herald on Jan 8, 2026

Published in Football

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MIAMI — Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009, is now looking for his eighth different head coach in a parade of floundering, flailing and failing.

South Florida’s flagship sports franchise — the one once-proud and associated with the Perfect Season, with Don Shula and Dan Marino — continues in a quarter-century slide into NFL irrelevance.

Thursday, Ross fired head coach Mike McDaniel after four seasons that produced a 35-33 regular-season record and an 0-2 continuation of zero playoff victories since 2001, the longest such drought in the sport. After McDaniel’s firing there are seven NFL franchises looking for head coaches.

On Monday, McDaniel stood at a postseason news conference and announced he would be involved in the club’s search for a new general manager. Three days later, McDaniel was fired. How fitting of the Dolphins’ rudderless float that it apparently took Ross three extra days to decide whether to keep or fire McDaniel.

“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change,” Ross said in a statement. “I love Mike and want to thank him for his hard work, commitment and the energy he brought to our organization. Mike is an incredibly creative football mind whose passion for the game and his players was evident every day. I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”

Longtime GM Chris Grier had been fired around midseason. The Dolphins plan to conduct a head coaching search after a new general manager is in place, with reports that could happen as soon as Friday.

Miami overcame an abysmal 2-7 start to end on a 5-3 run, but it wasn’t enough to save McDaniel.

Now what, Dolphins? Now what, Mr. Ross? Does the 85-year-old owner have a last hurrah in him? Or might I say a first hurrah running the Fins.

Ross has mowed through Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles (interim), Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell (interim), Adam Gase, Brian Flores and now McDaniel.

In common, none had been an NFL head coach before being handed the keys to the Dolphins.

Maybe try an experienced head coach? I dunno, just a thought.

I’m not one to raise pitchforks and torches and shout fire-the-coach on a whim. In McDaniel’s situation I think there was a case to give him one more season, but neither do I see sacking him as unjustified.

Who’s next is always the question.

If it’s suddenly available John Harbaugh — if Miami can land him — the coaching change will look brilliant and be made to almost universal acclaim.

Harbaugh won a Super Bowl in his long run in Baltimore and made the Ravens a respected, consistently winning franchise. Maybe he can come here and do the same for Miami ... especially if he brings quarterback Lamar Jackson with him.

Ross tried and failed early in his ownership tenure to woo coach Jim Harbaugh. Maybe he figures older brother John has DNA. I would nod yes on that one.

But would Harbaugh, or any another prospective hire with options, want to come to a Dolphins team in the midst of a reboot — and with dishevelment at the most important position?

A benched Tua Tagovailoa has spiraled fast from franchise quarterback to financial albatross. Rookie Quinn Ewers, who started the last three games with mixed results, is the seventh-round pick you can only pray turns out, because you’re that desperate.

There will be no remedy in the draft with the 11th overall pick. There will be no remedy in free agency unless you want somebody else’s discard as a one-year Band-Aid. Hey, there’s always the next career to exhume a la Philip Rivers.

Miami just hired Troy Aikman, 59, as an advisor in the GM search. How’s your arm, Troy?

Landing Harbaugh will be a pipe dream until the Dolphins surprise us with the wherewithal. The betting odds prior to McDaniel’s firing had the New York Giants the favorites to land Harbaugh at 4-7 odds. Miami was tied for seventh at 14-1.

So the latest reboot is on as the only team to not win a playoff game in the past quarter century tries to find a new general manager, a new head coach, the right starting quarterback ... and one other thing:

Reasons to give its fans what has been sadly missing.

Hope, trust and belief that their team knows what it’s doing.