The Dolphins brought an end to the Mike McDaniel era with Thursday’s firing. The move came as a surprise to McDaniel, who previously informed his staff that he’d continue as the Dolphins’ head coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says.
McDaniel was involved in Miami’s search for a general manager, an indication he’d stay, but it didn’t bode well for him when team brass began asking candidates about working with a different head coach.
Although owner Stephen Ross was a McDaniel advocate throughout the coach’s four-year tenure, the tide began turning on Tuesday. McDaniel presented a plan to Ross then, but the latter was “leaning toward making a change” when their meeting ended, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.
Despite valuing McDaniel’s “intelligence and offensive mind,” Ross didn’t want to continue with the “status quo,” according to ESPNs’ Marcel Louis-Jacques. That would have meant giving McDaniel another chance after two straight sub-.500 seasons in which the Dolphins combined for a 15-19 record.
McDaniel’s firing came not long after the Ravens moved on from John Harbaugh on Tuesday, though the Dolphins’ decision was unrelated, Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports. While Darlington adds that the Dolphins have not reached out to Harbaugh to gauge his interest in the position, that will change “very soon,” Jackson relays.
There’s a “longtime relationship” between Ross and the Harbaugh family, Jackson notes, and that may aid the team in a potential pursuit of the 63-year-old coach. Indeed, the Dolphins and Giants are among teams Harbaugh will seriously consider for his second head coaching job, per Jackson. Harbaugh is reportedly the Giants’ preferred candidate.
As for McDaniel’s future, his next stop may be in the AFC North, Harbaugh’s former division. The Browns are interested in McDaniel, as reports from Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com and Josina Anderson of The Exhibit indicate. The team has “long admired” McDaniels’ offensive mind, according to Cabot, and there’s familiarity between him and the organization. As McDaniel climbed up the coaching ranks, the Kyle Shanahan disciple spent 2014 in Cleveland as its wide receivers coach.
The Browns have not set up a meeting with McDaniel yet. However, it’s possible an interview will occur next week, according to Cabot. With a total of eight head coaching vacancies across the NFL, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see multiple teams consider McDaniel.