Mike McDaniel Reportedly Not Dolphins' HC 'Placeholder' Despite Grier's Exit as GM

The Miami Dolphins and general manager Chris Grier agreed to part ways this week, but head coach Mike McDaniel might be keeping his job.

Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is not just keeping McDaniel "as a placeholder" for the remainder of the season. Instead, Ross hopes to see McDaniel turn things around before reevaluating things this offseason.

The Dolphins and Grier parted ways following the team's 2-7 start. Ross said the organization needed a change in order to improve.

"As I assessed the state of the team and in my discussions with Chris, it became clear to both of us that change could not wait," Ross said in a statement. "We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now."

Following Grier's exit, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that McDaniel would remain as head coach through at least the end of the season. ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques reported earlier this week that Ross is not "in any rush to fire McDaniel" because he is "a believer in the process" and will "remain tolerant" as long as it looks like the team is making clear improvements.

But even if McDaniels is safe for the rest of the 2025 season, there's no guarantee he'll be in Miami heading into 2026. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Thursday that "McDaniels' job status is firmly up in the air."

It's unclear how exactly Ross and the Dolphins will measure improvements during the rest of the season. He could want to see wins, but even just competing against teams week in and week out might be enough to save McDaniels' job.

Regardless, Miami will try to salvage the season and pick up at least a few more wins.

The Dolphins picked up a big 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago, but followed it up with a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.

▶️ Full Ravens-Dolphins Recap

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Things won't get easier next week as the Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills.