National Media Reaction to Dolphins Firing Mike McDaniel

The Miami Dolphins will be making a change at head coach after failing to reach the playoffs for a second straight season.

The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday after four inconsistent years leading the franchise. Miami made the playoffs in each of McDaniel’s first two seasons as head coach, but was outscored 60–38 across two postseason games and finished under .500 in each of the final two years.

While it’s hard to argue with Stephen Ross’ statement that the Dolphins need "comprehensive change,” the national media doesn’t expect McDaniel, who is still viewed as one of the league’s more creative offensive minds, to remain unemployed for long.

National Media Reaction to Miami Firing Mike McDaniel

Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show: This makes sense. It made no sense to fire the general manager and then have the coach decide who the next GM is when John Harbaugh is sitting out there, with all due respect to everyone involved. And in that regard, Mike McDaniel, if he wants to, I'm sure he wants to still be a head coach in the league. Once you're a head coach in the league, that's what you want to be. But if he's willing to be an offensive coordinator, I don't know how many opportunities he might get for the other head coaching jobs… but he's going to be one of the hottest if he wants to be an offensive coordinator. He could be the highest-paid OC in the league, and he's an instant offense to any other organization that hires a defensive coordinator or culture guy…that's going to be a strong opportunity for him. It's not like he's going to disappear by any stretch of the imagination.

Kevin Clark, ESPN: Mike McDaniel is the best OC to be available in many, many years. Blank check territory if you have a decent QB.

Dan Orlovsky, ESPN: The Commanders should hire McDaniel as OC.

Chris Simms, NBC Sports: I'm a little surprised… usually Thursday, after a Sunday game, you start to feel like, okay, they're staying with them, right? This many days go by, and then the decision is made. We saw Mike McDaniel go up there, and he talked about, ‘nobody said anything to me.’ I wonder what changed, or if this was the plan altogether. Did something happen when they met and they disagreed on the direction of the franchise? I don't know, but Mike McDaniel is going to be in demand in some capacity, probably a little bit as a head coach, and definitely is an OC, that's for sure.

In a lot of ways, I don't think he should have been fired. The whole NFL was obsessed with Mike McDaniel for three years. They were the most fun watching football because of his offense. Everybody stole his plays and his ideas. He was on the cutting edge with a quarterback that can't throw the ball past 15 yards and can't run and scramble or do anything of that, too. And then with the GM who, yeah, they fired, who didn't set up the team, was obsessed with stars, bad contracts, bad trades, not the best draft picks in the world and all that. And I don't think that should have fell on Mike McDaniel, but either way it did, I'm sorry to see it happen, but I don't think he'll be out of work for too long here.

Connor Orr, Sports Illustrated: There’s a reason this team fired its general manager first and waited on firing McDaniel. The issues with the team are less schematic than they are macro in terms of how the Dolphins identify talent and pipeline it onto the playing field.

McDaniel wasn’t going to win consistently in Miami without that pipeline of talent (at least not at the level Ross, who is 85 and wants a Super Bowl, would like to see). Harbaugh, at the very least, offers something closer to bringing it all to fruition. Or inspire that idea in an owner desperate for a Mike Vrabel–like turnaround.

Albert Breer, MMQB: Mike McDaniel figures to have a boatload of interest from teams with offensive-coordinator openings. Perhaps starting with the one in Washington, with his close friend (and former boss in Atlanta) Dan Quinn.

The idea of McDaniel with Jayden Daniels ... pretty cool.

Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports: Mike McDaniel is free to interview for other head coach positions, and sources believe he will have interest across the league. An offensive coordinator role will absolutely be available to him if he so wishes.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Mike McDaniel, offensive coordinator, is much better than Mike McDaniel, head coach. Teams should race to hire him if they can… Dolphins had to let McDaniel go. It just wasn’t working. But what about the cool practice jersey music game? Will it play on?

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