Dolphins 2026 Head Coach Search Tracker: The Harbaugh Fallout

The idea of the Miami Dolphins hiring John Harbaugh as their new head coach is gone.

But is it any surprise at all or was it a pipe dream from the time Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens? More importantly, is it really that big a deal that the Dolphins won't land the "big whale" of the head coach candidates of this hiring cycle?

How about not much and not very much all.

We can start with the idea of the Dolphins being able to convince Harbaugh to come to Miami, an idea that began more than anything because of owner Stephen Ross' basically limitless funds and his well-established willingness to not let financial considerations get in the way of what he wants (see Suh, Ndamukong).

Then there was this notion thrown out there on social media that Ross decided to fire Mike McDaniel as head coach after Harbaugh became available because he was confident he could land him.

As it turned out, the Dolphins never really were in serious consideration because the three teams Harbaugh had agreed to meet this week were the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans, and he canceled his two latter meetings after agreeing to become head coach of the Giants.

Exactly how quickly Harbaugh can turn around the Giants after their 4-13 finish of 2025 is debatable, but the same would have applied had he wound up joining the Dolphins.

Harbaugh also is 63 years old, which quite frankly is on the old side for an NFL head coach.

But he was the big name out there, particularly with Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II indicating that Mike Tomlin wants to spend time away from the NFL after he resigned, or the shiny object, if you prefer.

That doesn't mean he was the best candidate.

Based on our research, we identified 10 other head coaches who moved to another team after at least 10 years on a previous job, and the truth is the results were mixed for the new teams.

That list include Dan Reeves (from Denver to the New York Giants), Marty Schottenheimer (from Kansas City to San Diego), Andy Reid (from Philadelphia to Kansas City), Mike McCarthy (from Green Bay to Dallas), Pete Carroll (from Seattle to Las Vegas), Jeff Fisher (from Tennessee to the Rams), Mike Shanahan (from Denver to the Raiders), Sean Payton (from New Orleans to Denver), Jim Mora (from New Orleans to Indianapolis), Dennis Green (from Minnesota to Arizona) and Ted Marchibroda (from Indianapolis to Baltimore).

Reid obviously was a major success story, but he did have the luxury of joining an organization that eventually would give him Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. He's the only one to have reached the Super Bowl with his second team.

The flip side is Carroll, who was fired by the Raiders after only one season after returning to the NFL in 2025 following a one-year absence.

The Giants are hoping they landed another Andy Reid after their all-out blitz to land Harbaugh.

Whether the Dolphins ever indicated to Harbaugh how far they were willing to go to get him or whether he told them not to bother might never be known, but the reality is all the reports suggesting the Dolphins want a three-person power structure with GM, cap guru and head coach on a same level and all reporting to the owner should have made it clear from the start it was a very long shot that Harbaugh would end up in Miami because he'll be getting more power than that with the Giants.

The other reality is the Dolphins could wind up with just as good a candidate, even if the hiring won't be as splashy.

THE CANDIDATES AND THE COMPETITION

The Dolphins' search continued Thursday morning with 10 candidates remaining now that Harbaugh is out of the picture.

Those candidates the Dolphins have interviewed or have requested to interview: former head coaches John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski and Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak of the Seattle Seahawks, offensive coordinator Joe Brady of the Buffalo Bills, and defensive coordinators Patrick Graham of the Las Vegas Raiders, Chris Shula of the Los Angeles Rams, Greg Minter of the Los Angeles Chargers, Jeff Hafley of the Green Bay Packers, Kelvin Sheppard of the Detroit Lions and Anthony Campanile of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But the Dolphins have a lot of competition for candidates because they're one of nine teams looking for a new head coach, the others being (in alphabetical order) the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans.

Because of their uncertain quarterback outlook, a bad cap situation and the presence of Josh Allen and Drake Maye in the division, the Dolphins might have at a competitive disadvantage compared to other franchises, though they do have the benefit of playing in a state with no income tax along with the South Florida weather.

The Dolphins will face a lot of competition for several head coach candidates, including Stefanski, who's got seven interviews lined up, per multiple reports, and Minter, who interviewed with both the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday and is scheduled to talk with every team that has an opening.

The Falcons have thrown a wide net around coaching candidates and have basically every Dolphins candidate on their list so far, other than Brady. They've also interviewed former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver already.

The one candidate for whom there wasn't major competition as of early Wednesday evening was Campanile, though that obviously could change. The Dolphins were the first team to request an interview for the Jaguars defensive coordinator and former Miami assistant.

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is scheduled to conduct a series of Zoom interviews Sunday, the day after his San Francisco 49ers (he's their defensive coordinator) face the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs. Along with Miami, Saleh also is expected to speak with Tennessee, Ariona, Baltimore and, of course, Atlanta.

MORE DOLPHINS COACHING SEARCH COVERAGE:

-- Where the Miami Dolphins rank among the nine head coach openings
-- What the hiring of Sullivan could mean for the Dolphins coaching search
-- What other former Dolphins assistants could or should get an interview?
-- How Mike Tomlin Stepping Down from Steelers Affects Dolphins Head Coaching Search
-- Pros and Cons of Each Dolphins Head Coaching Candidate

MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH HISTORY

George Wilson — 1966-69 ... hired Jan. 29, 1966
Don Shula — 1970-95 ... hired Feb. 18, 1970
Jimmy Johnson — 1996-99 ... hired Jan. 11, 1996
Dave Wannstedt — 2000-04 ... hired Jan. 16, 2000
Jim Bates (interim) — 2004
Nick Saban — 2005-06 ... hired Dec. 27, 2004
Cam Cameron — 2007 ... hired Jan. 19, 2007
Tony Sparano — 2008-11 ... hired Jan. 16, 2008
Todd Bowles (interim) — 2011
Joe Philbin — 2012-15 ... hired Jan. 20, 2012
Dan Campbell (interim) — 2015
Adam Gase — 2016-18 ... hired Jan. 9, 2016
Brian Flores — 2019-21 ... hired Feb. 4, 2019
Mike McDaniel — 2022-25 ... hired Feb. 7, 2022