The AFC East coaching carousel continues to spin. Monday started with the Buffalo Bills firing Sean McDermott. Before the day could end, the Miami Dolphins reached an agreement to hire their next head coach, officially replacing Mike McDaniel.
According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins have hired Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be their new head coach. Hafley, 46, is viewed as a rising star in the coaching industry, and he was under consideration for several other NFL head coaching vacancies this offseason.
He was set to interview with the Titans on Tuesday, but the Dolphins made sure to get an agreement in place with Hafley before he could leave South Beach.
Hafley has been coaching since 2001 in various forms, reaching the pinnacle as the head coach of the Boston College Eagles in 2020. After leading them to a respectable 21-26 record, plus a bowl win across four seasons, Hafley stunningly resigned and opted to take his talent to the NFL, in a lesser role.
Yet, that move, which was to become Matt LaFleur’s defensive coordinator in Green Bay, is now paying off in a big way. He led a defense that ranked sixth in points allowed in 2024 and 11th in 2025.
He’ll be reuniting with Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was just hired as the Dolphins’ general manager. The two worked together in Green Bay for the past two seasons. Now, they’ll be tasked with getting the Dolphins back to the playoffs for the first time since their embarrassing 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round of 2023.
Related: 4 Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator Candidates if Jeff Hafley Leaves
