Four years ago, the Miami Dolphins hired a relatively young head coach after his first season as an NFL offensive coordinator. While Mike McDaniel led the team to the playoffs twice during his tenure, he couldn’t steer the Dolphins to a postseason victory and he was fired following a 7-10 season.
So the idea of another relatively inexperienced head coach — like Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, or Klint Kubiak, perhaps — might feel like a path the Dolphins won’t want to walk. And with experienced, successful coaches like John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin no longer employed, Miami seemingly has an opportunity to hire a well-credentialed leader.
Advertisement
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, those two hires appear highly unlikely.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Harbaugh has narrowed his choices to three teams with an «inside track» to hire the former Ravens coach: the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Atlanta Falcons.
The Dolphins have reportedly expressed their interest in Harbaugh, but the team’s quarterback situation and salary cap restraints seem to have scared him off.
Landing the newly available Tomlin is even more unlikely. After 19 years without a single losing season, the longtime Steelers coach wasn’t fired, but stepped down from the position. That means that if Tomlin wants to coach in 2026 (a big if), the Dolphins may need to make a trade with Pittsburgh for his rights.
Advertisement
The more realistic experienced coaches who could wind up in Miami are Kevin Stefanski and Mike McCarthy. But they come with much less shine.
Stefanski earned NFL Coach of the Year twice with the Browns, but ultimately ended his tenure with a 45-56 record. And despite an offensive background, that included seven years of coaching Vikings quarterbacks, he cycled through 13 starters in Cleveland.
McCarthy has a Super Bowl win under his belt, but never quite shook his reputation for clock mismanagement and turned three straight 12-win seasons in Dallas into only one postseason victory.
Those may be résumés that are more than enough for the Dolphins. But even if Miami covets Stefanski and/or McCarthy, the team’s lackluster roster, lack of a clear answer at quarterback, and salary cap turmoil doesn’t make the team a particularly attractive coaching option. A relatively inexperienced coach to replace McDaniel could prove to be the only answer.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: NFL coach carousel: Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh unlikely for Dolphins
