After months of rumors, the Mike McDaniel era in South Beach is officially over. On Thursday, ESPN broke the news that the coach who owns a 35-33 record was fired by the Miami Dolphins following a meeting with team owner Stephen Ross. The decision brings an end to a period in Dolphins history that seemed to have so much promise after an 11-6 season in 2023.
Now, the organization joins six other teams searching for a new leader of their locker room. However, there are quite a few strong options available to Miami. Let’s take a look at the five potential replacements for McDaniel in 2026.
Mike McCarthy
Mike McCarthy did not rise to the high standards of the Dallas Cowboys organization. However, the man who won led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl in 2010 still just had three 12-win seasons in a row before being fired after the 2024 campaign. Miami would be thrilled to have that level of consistent success.
He won’t be the favorite to be the next Dolphins head coach, but McCarthy should be viewed as a serious contender.
Vance Joseph
Vance Joseph failed during his two-year run as the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2017 and 2018. However, over the last seven years as a defensive coordinator, he has rebuilt his value as a head coach, and his Broncos defense being a beast in 2025 is why he is a serious candidate for any job.
Going from an offensive coach to a defensive-minded one for the Dolphins seems very possible. Joseph learning from his previous failure as a head coach make him a very intriguing option to replace McDaniel.
John Harbaugh
While there are many intriguing head coach candidates on the market, Baltimore Ravens great John Harbaugh is the crown jewel among the candidates. He has a Super Bowl win on his resume and took the Ravens to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons. Furthermore, he has developed a pair of QBs that made Baltimore a consistent title contender over the last two decades.
It has already been reported that Stephen Ross has ties to the Harbaugh family, and there is a belief that McDaniel was ousted with the idea of replacing him with the Harbaugh.
Chris Shula
Los Angeles Rams DC Chris Shula has emerged as a real contender for multiple head coach jobs. He is a Sean McVay pupil, has coached at various levels on defense, and turned the Rams D into a top 10 unit in 2025. But what really makes him a fascinating option for the Dolphins is that he is the grandson of iconic coach Don Shula.
A new generation of Shula trying to turn the ‘Phins around would be a major story in the NFL in 2026.
Bill Belichick
Until he officially walks away from coaching for good, Bill Belichick will be a contender for every big-market head coaching job in the NFL. Furthermore, having a nightmare debut season in college football with North Carolina only fuels the speculation.
After going with fresh-faced options for the last 20 years, the Dolphins going with a coach that has an elite resume and has won championships is a very real possibility in the weeks ahead.
