Could John Harbaugh make the Dolphins rethink keeping Mike McDaniel?

The Miami Dolphins didn't fire Mike McDaniel as head coach in the immediate aftermath of a blowout Week 18 loss that left the team with a final record of 7-10. But unlike last year, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross didn't announce McDaniel will be returning either.

On Tuesday, another potential option for the Dolphins became a possibility.

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After 18 seasons, 180 regular season wins, 13 playoff wins, and a Super Bowl title, the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh as head coach. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, seven teams immediately called Harbaugh's agent after the news broke to express their interest in the coach. Were the Dolphins one of those teams?

Just seven teams, including the Ravens, have head coaching vacancies. The clear implication is that at least one franchise that already has a coach at the steering wheel was among those making phone calls. With 14 teams currently in the playoffs and seven without coaches, the list of possibilities isn't long.

And according to NFL reporter Josina Anderson, the Dolphins' affinity for Harbaugh is no secret.

Perhaps the bigger question is not if the Dolphins would pursue Harbaugh, but if the coach would want to be in Miami? Harbaugh will have no shortage of options and the Dolphins may not stack up as a great one.

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Miami is set to move on from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, leaving a huge question mark (among many others on the roster) and a dearth of cap space to fix it. Meanwhile, the Titans, Falcons, and Giants all offer jobs with young, recent first-round picks at quarterback.

Maybe Harbaugh would want to team with the Dolphins' new general manager to rebuild the roster and pick a quarterback himself with a patient owner in an organization that consistently earns rave reviews from the NFLPA? Sean Payton made a similar decision when he became head coach of the Denver Broncos and that has worked out pretty well.

On Monday, McDaniel told reporters, "my understanding is that I’m the coach of the Miami Dolphins until told otherwise." If the Dolphins believe landing Harbaugh is a real possibility, McDaniel may hear otherwise sooner rather than later.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Could John Harbaugh make the Dolphins rethink keeping Mike McDaniel?