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Dolphins Rumors: 49ers' Mike McDaniel, Cowboys' Dan Quinn Targeted for HC Interviews
January 11, 2022
The Miami Dolphins have reportedly submitted an interview request to speak with San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel about their head coaching vacancy.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported news of the request Tuesday ahead of the Niners' first-round playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Pelissero later reported Miami is also seeking an interview with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced Monday that the organization fired Brian Flores after three seasons leading the coaching staff:
"I made a decision today to part ways with Brian Flores. After evaluating where we are as an organization and what we need going forward to improve, I determined that key dynamics of our football organization weren't functioning at a level I want it to be and felt that this decision was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins. I believe we have a talented young roster in place and have the opportunity to be much better in 2022. I want to thank Brian for his hard work and wish him nothing but the best in his future."
Flores led Miami to a 24-25 record, including back-to-back winning seasons, but couldn't guide the franchise to a postseason berth.
His firing still came as a surprise, and he's emerged as a "hot" candidate elsewhere with a Chicago Bears interview already set, per Pelissero.
Meanwhile, McDaniel would be a first-time head coach if hired by Miami. He owns 17 years of experience as an assistant, including the 2021 season as the 49ers offensive coordinator after spending the previous four years as the team's run-game coordinator.
The 38-year-old Yale product guided the Niners to a seventh-place finish in total offense (375.7 yards per game) in 2021. They ranked 15th in that category last year.
Most notable was his use of wide receiver Deebo Samuel in a hybrid role that maximized his playmaking ability en route to 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns in 16 games.
The Dolphins offense is going to need some upgrades during the offseason, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa showed some promising signs in the season's second half, and wideout Jaylen Waddle looked like a star in the making with 1,015 yards as a rookie.
Quinn, meanwhile, previously spent five-plus years as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He went 43-42 from 2015 to 2020, recording two seasons with double-digit wins.
He helped guide the Falcons to Super Bowl LI, which saw his team infamously blow a 28-3 lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
McDaniel and Quinn join Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as coaches who've been the targets of interview requests from Miami, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Daboll has worked with the Bills offense since 2018. The unit has finished in the top five in both yards and points each of the past two years.
The team's final selection will be tasked with bringing some consistency to a franchise that's made the playoffs just twice since 2002 and not since 2016.