Mike McDaniel fired by Dolphins. Who might replace him?

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The Mike McDaniel era is over in Miami so who do the Dolphins turn to next as their head coach?

McDaniel was fired on Thursday, Jan. 8, bringing an end to his four-year tenure as the Dolphins' head coach. He finished with a 35-33 overall record and was 0-2 in the playoffs.

The list of prospects naturally includes some former NFL head coaches, some "current" NFL head coaches and some prominent assistants.

If form holds true, the Dolphins' next coach will be the opposite of McDaniel - defensive-oriented, more serious and experienced.

Mike McDaniel fired: Is John Harbaugh next in line?

Here are some likely candidates:

Defensive coordinators Vance Joseph, Jeff Hafley on lot of lists

Joseph, a former head coach at Denver in 2017-18, has been the Broncos defensive coordinator the last two seasons and Denver's defense is one of the reasons it will be the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Hafley also has head-coaching experience at Boston College before taking over as Green Bay's defensive coordinator in 2024. The Packers have allowed 4.7 yards per play, fifth best in the NFL.

Could another Shula be Dolphins' next coach?

Chris Shula, grandson of Don Shula, son of David Shula, has been the successful defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. The younger Shula has been running the Rams' defense for two seasons. Heading into the final weekend of the season, LA had given up the third-fewest points per game (17.5).

Does anyone see Bill Belichick on the Dolphins' sideline?

We all scratched our heads when Belichick took the North Carolina job and kept scratching as the Tar Heels were embarrassingly bad in 2025. How special would it be for Belichick to return to the NFL and break Don Shula's all-time coaching wins record ... in Miami? Hey, he already has a home in South Florida and his girlfriend would love the whole South Beach vibe.

John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin dream candidates

Harbaugh and Tomlin both came under fire this season as their teams underachieved. It's hard to fathom either being released but if that happened, the Dolphins would be foolish to at least not consider - if not hire - one of these successful coaches.

All you have to do is look at the Patriots' turnaround from NFL doormat to Super Bowl contender and the man who helped engineer that rise - Mike Vrabel, who was fired by the Tennessee Titans.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mike McDaniel fired: Here are potential replacements for Dolphins

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