Dolphins’ McDaniel answers questions about job status, speaks of plan for 2026
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel’s fourth season ended in the same way it started - with a blowout loss. In the intermediate aftermath of an immensely disappointing 7-10 season, McDaniel declined to say what owner Stephen Ross has told him about his future.
There was no immediate word from Ross, either, in the wake of Sunday’s 38-10 loss at New England.
“I’m operating the same way I always have,” McDaniel said of his future. “No one is entitled to anything. I take the job serious. I will aggressively attack the job tomorrow, like every day I have the job.”
ESPN reported before the game that no final decision has been made on McDaniel’s future, but that ownership would like to keep him. The Dolphins will intensify their search for a general manager on Monday, which is the first day that teams can ask permission to speak with front office employees of other teams.
McDaniel is scheduled to speak to reporters again on Monday afternoon.
McDaniel said “in the first half, the game felt the way we anticipated it. We were going against a good opponent, and we were going to have to make some plays. It was a one-score game, 10 to 17. The interception [by Quinn Ewers in the third quarter] and the drive down for a touchdown appeared to break the team’s back.”
He said Ewers, who struggled in the second half before leaving with a knee injury, “did a good job growing in his game. In the first half, there were some plays he was able to make and avoided some sacks. You couldn’t say anything was quite good enough. He will have some very frustrating moments to learn from.”
McDaniel said Ewers’ knee is stable and his injury is “not what people would fear.”
The Dolphins were outscored 130 to 27 in the third quarter this year. Opponents finished the season on an 81-0 third-quarter run against Miami.
“It didn’t feel like the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati game, but it kind of played out that way,” he said of the third-quarter collapses. “I have a strong motivation to take the offseason to figure out what we can do from a controllable standpoint, from a schematic standpoint, from how we operate. We have to figure that out. That will be led by me for sure.”
McDaniel said “there are a lot of young players who learned the lessons of the National Football League the hard way. For all the young guys we’re going to be relying upon moving forward, for guys on their rookie contracts, it was an incredible learning experience. [That’s] the only silver lining. You have the opportunity to be surrounded by guys who don’t blink in adversity. Unfortunately, it’s going to be hard for me to focus on silver linings right now.”
McDaniel made the playoffs in his first two seasons (the Dolphins lost a wild card game both years) but have failed to make the playoffs the past two years, finishing 8-9 and 7-10.
He’s 35-33 in the regular season and 0-2 in the playoffs in four seasons as Dolphins coach.
Here’s a look at where the Dolphins will draft, prospects potentially in the mix and the 2026 schedule.
This story was originally published January 4, 2026 at 7:56 PM.
