The Dolphins might want John Harbaugh. But should Harbaugh want the Dolphins?
It would be a storybook scenario.
For the second time in the last 60 years, the famed coach Baltimore takes his talents to South Beach where he became a legend. But make no mistake: John Harbaugh is no Don Shula. And arguably most important, the 2026 Dolphins had fewer pieces in place than 1970.
In the hours since news broke that Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens have severed ties, many speculated that the Dolphins should pursue the Super Bowl-winning coach. The Dolphins, however, could likely be viewed less favorably due to the following issues: coach, quarterback and cap.
That’s not to say the Dolphins gig has zero perks. There are few places in the United States of America where you can wake up to 80-degree temperatures in January. For a man that turns 64 in September, that can’t be ignored. Neither can Florida’s lack of income tax nor cornerstone pieces that do reside in Miami, namely De’Von Achane, Aaron Brewer, Patrick Paul, Jaylen Waddle, Jordyn Brooks and Zach Sieler. Still, several questions remain.
The most obvious issue has to be the presence of Mike McDaniel. As of this writing, he’s still the guy. That, obviously, could change at any moment, yet it can’t be ignored that the Dolphins do have a head coach for the time being — even if the Dolphins coach has gone 15-19 over the past two seasons.
“My understanding is that I’m the coach of the Miami Dolphins until told otherwise,” McDaniel said Monday, later adding that “the job itself is enough. To worry about whether it’s yours, that’s not part of the formula. I think we all in the Miami Dolphins organization, and in particular with the Dolphins ownership, we are not happy with the results. They’re not up to the standard and so my sole focus each hour that you could reach me for the next foreseeable many hours is correcting and improving something that’s not good enough right now.”
Then comes the quarterback situation. If the 2025 season showed anything, it’s that Tua Tagovailoa will not be the franchise quarterback going forward. Not only did his 15 interceptions rank second in the league, the former Alabama standout’s arm and athleticism appear to have declined leading to his benching over the last three games.
Sure, Quinn Ewers could end up as the 2026 starter after he showed flashes of competence during his three-game stint, but it doesn’t make the reality any worse: the Dolphins’ quarterback situation isn’t ideal.
“There will be competition for our starting quarterback,” McDaniel said. “What that is and how it looks, there’s a lot that remains to be seen. It’s the most important position on the football field, and you have to make sure that you do everything possible to get the best person out there on the field.”
Compare that to other openings like the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants, both of which have seemingly found their quarterback of the future in Cam Ward and Jaxon Dart, respectively, and the Dolphins’ situation looks even more bleak – even without mention of Tagovailoa’s contraction situation as he’s guaranteed at least $54 million in 2026.
Put frankly, the Dolphins have the fourth-least projected cap space ahead of the 2026 season. They certainly have ways to create $65 million in cap space — i.e. cuts and restructures — yet there certainly are franchises with better situations. Teams like the Titans ($95.6 million), Las Vegas Raiders ($88.7 million) and even the New York Giants ($4.5 million) have better cap situations than the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Miami currently finds itself $23.2 million in the hole.
The bottom line: the Dolphins might not be the hot job that it once more than half a century ago. And while it would be great to have a former Super Bowl-winner as the coach, that idea might be closer to fantasy than reality.
