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Mike McDaniel's job security has seemed solid for a while now, despite his team once again failing to reach the heights of its record-breaking 2023 season powered by Tyreek Hill. That was the sentiment ever since the Miami Dolphins fired general manager Chris Grier at midseason, and team owner Stephen Ross reportedly likes McDaniel enough to have him involved in the GM search.
A perceived lack of quality external candidates has been one of the arguments for keeping McDaniel, especially as 2026 looks to be a reset year in which the team figures out how to move Tua Tagovailoa's albatross of a contract.
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Well, one candidate has come available who could change everything. The Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh after 18 seasons on Tuesday after Tyler Loop kicked their playoff hopes wide right in a heartbreaking season finale. Within 45 minutes of his firing, seven teams called Harbaugh's agent to inquire about the Super Bowl winner's services, according to ESPN, so he's clearly a hot commodity.
This has Ross' name all over it. Ross, a Michigan alum and prominent donor, has been linked to former Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh twice. The first was in 2011 while Tony Sparano was still under contract, and after striking out on Harbaugh, Ross gave Sparano a two-year extension to quell the embarrassment. Then in 2022, Ross called Harbaugh a "great coach" but admitted he didn't want to take him away from Michigan.
Now, Ross can get himself a Harbaugh without affecting his precious Wolverines. It would give Miami instant credibility after 25 years without a playoff win. Harbaugh has only three losing seasons over 18 years. His .614 win percentage would rank second all-time in Dolphins history, just behind Don Shula (.659), who the Dolphins happened to have plucked from Baltimore.
The only thing holding Ross back is himself. Over his tenure as Dolphins owner he has refused to enact a full rebuild, much to the organization's detriment. Let's take a quick look back at his history:
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2011: Fired Sparano, retained GM Jeff Ireland
2014: Fired Ireland, retained coach Joe Philbin
2022: Fired coach Brian Flores, retained Grier
2025: Fired Grier, retained McDaniel (for now)
The somewhat notable exception came in 2019, when Ross fired coach Adam Gase and executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum but gave Grier full control of football operations.
So, Miami has a chance to right a quarter-century's worth of wrongs by finally cleaning house and bringing in Harbaugh plus a general manager of his liking. Time to see if Ross has the stomach for it.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: John Harbaugh firing suddenly makes Mike McDaniel expendable
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