Live Dolphin updates: Harbaugh to Giants; Dolphins reach out to Campanile, Brady
Welcome to Day 5 of the Dolphins’ search for a new head coach. Please keep checking back all day for updates:
11:59 p.m.: The Dolphins’ courtship of John Harbaugh, which never gained much steam, is now over. Harbaugh is expected to finalize a deal to become coach of the New York Giants, ESPN reported late Wednesday night.
The Dolphins and six other teams pursued Harbaugh, but he ultimately ended up meeting in person with only one team: the Giants.
As we reported last week, any suitor’s quarterback situation was an important factor for Harbaugh, and the Giants (with Jaxson Dart) held an edge over the Dolphins in that regard.
Harbaugh’s camp had conversations with the Dolphins, but it never gained much traction, as Harbaugh focused on the Giants and to a lesser extent, the Titans and Falcons.
3:30 p.m. update: The Dolphins have reached out to an 11th candidate for their head coaching job. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady will interview for the job, the Palm Beach Post reported and a source confirmed.
Brady, 36, was the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in 2022 and 2023 and replaced the dismissed Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator midway through the 2023 season and was named permanent OC before the 2024 season.
Brady, who was born in Hollywood and grew up in Pembroke Pines, was offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021.
He’s the second offensive coordinator to attract the Dolphins’ interest in this coaching search, joining Seattle’s Klint Kubiak.
3 p.m. update: The Dolphins announced they have completed their interview with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He’s the third person to interview with Miami, following Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
10 a.m.: Add a 10th identified candidate for the Dolphins head coaching job: Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. A league source confirms that the Dolphins have requested permission to interview him.
Campanile, 43, was the Dolphins linebackers coach from 2020 through 2023, then spent 2024 as the linebackers coach and (defensive) run game coordinator in Green Bay, where he had interaction with new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
He became a defensive coordinator for the first time this season, with the Jaguars, and Jacksonville’s defense finished 11th in yards allowed per game (at 303.6) and eighth in points allowed (19.8). Jacksonville had the No. 1 run defense and was second in forcing turnovers.
Before joining Brian Flores’ Dolphins staff, he worked at Rutgers, Boston College and Michigan. The New Jersey native - whose passionate speeches to players were featured when the Dolphins were the subject of HBO’s Hard Knocks earlier this decade - played safety and linebacker at Rutgers.
Campanile becomes the 10th identified candidate for the job. Two of the 10 have completed interviews with the Dolphins: Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (virtually, on Saturday) and former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski (in person, on Monday).
The Dolphins plan to interview Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley virtually on Wednesday, per SI.com.
The other identified candidates: defensive coordinators Chris Shula (Rams), Patrick Graham (Raiders), Kelvin Sheppard (Lions), Jesse Minter (Chargers) and Robert Saleh (49ers).
And then there’s John Harbaugh…
9:55 a.m. update: Harbaugh - who has been among several Dolphins targets during this coaching cycle - will meet with the Giants on Wednesday as he intensifies the process of finding a new team after being fired by the Ravens last week.
Asked where the Dolphins stand, or if they’re even in the mix, a source close to Harbaugh indicated there was nothing to report on that front.
From all indications, the Dolphins are a serious underdog at this point. NFL Network said the Giants, Falcons and Titans have “the inside track.”
Only unemployed coaches can interview with teams in person this week.
The NFL has a window this week for the coaches from six of the eight teams playing this weekend to interview virtually. (This excludes Seattle/Denver coaches, who could do it last week.).
For the Dolphins, that would open the door to interviewing Saleh and Shula virtually this week.
Nobody employed by any of 32 teams can interview in person until next Monday.
Nobody whose team is still alive can interview in person until their season is done except the teams in Super Bowl, where you can meet with an assistant during the pre-Super Bowl bye week only if you have interviewed them virtually in January.
This story was originally published January 14, 2026 at 10:40 AM.
