The Miami Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel have reached an agreement that keeps the coach with the Dolphins through 2028. McDaniel arrived to the Dolphins at the start of the 2022 season, and the turnaround he has accomplished with the team has been quite the accomplishment.
Before bringing his offense to the Dolphins from the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins looked like a completely different team. Under previous head coach Brian Flores, the offense struggled to get out of its own way and move the ball down the field. Instability at the quarterback position played a large role in the offensive woes, as did a lack of talent at the skill positions outside of quarterback – particularly at wide receiver.
Those fortunes have changed dramatically during McDaniel’s three seasons in Miami, with the Dolphins adding the likes of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, and Jaylen Wright during McDaniel’s tenure. The difference between pre- and post-McDaniel’s offense in Miami has been night-and-day. Prior to McDaniel, the Dolphins had not had a top-10 offense since 1996. They have had one in each of McDaniel's two seasons, including leading the league in total yards last season.
McDaniel has also become only the third coach in franchise history to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, joining only Dave Wannstedt and the legendary Don Shula.
However, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows with McDaniel at the helm. Each of the past two seasons, the Dolphins have collapsed at the end of the season, and they’re currently mired in a postseason win drought that extends back to the end of the Dan Marino era. Miami currently has the longest playoff win drought in the league at 23 seasons, two more than the Las Vegas Raiders.
Miami had made the postseason six times during that stretch – including each of McDaniel’s two seasons with the team – and have lost their first game each time. That losing streak is the longest in franchise history, and the longest current playoff losing streak in the NFL.
Clearly Miami Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross believes that McDaniel, and the system he has in place, will be the coach to end the streak. The exact terms of the extension aren’t known as of publishing, but it sends a clear message that ownership is 100% behind McDaniel and the direction he’s taking the team.