The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday, bringing the number of NFL teams making head coaching changes this offseason up to eight—25% of the league.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced he had decided that the organization was “in need of comprehensive change” following “careful evaluation and extensive discussion since the season ended” Sunday.
Miami finished 7–10 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year. McDaniel’s firing follows the firing of GM Chris Grier on Oct. 31. The biggest question for the next Dolphins regime will be what to do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has a $56.4 million salary cap in 2026.
Tracking Team Moves
Below is a tracker of all the other head coaching and GM firings made since the beginning of the 2025 season.
Ravens: Baltimore parted ways with John Harbaugh on Tuesday after 18 seasons. He was the second-most-tenured coach in the league, behind the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, and led Baltimore to a Super Bowl XLVII title. Harbaugh had signed a three-year extension prior to this season and is under contract through the 2028 season. He earned $16 million this year, tied for fourth highest in the league.
Browns: On the heels of a 5–12 season, Cleveland’s second straight without a playoff appearance and fourth such campaign in five years, Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam on Black Monday fired coach Kevin Stefanski. In six years with the Browns, Stefanski won the leaguewide honors in 2020 and again in 2023, but overall, he posted a 45–56 record and was expected to be fired as the end of the regular season approached.
Raiders: Las Vegas owner Mark Davis dismissed coach Pete Carroll on Monday after a single season in which he went 3–14. That performance gave the Raiders the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but Carroll won’t be a part of it. Instead, GM John Spytek will “lead all football operations in close collaboration with [part-owner] Tom Brady, including the search for the club’s next head coach.” That decision will give Brady, also the lead on-air analyst for Fox’s NFL coverage, his biggest presence to date in the team’s functions.
Cardinals: Arizona parted ways with Jonathan Gannon on Monday after three years. Posting a 15–36 record over that time, the fate of the former Eagles defensive coordinator was largely sealed as the Cardinals finished the 2025 season with nine straight losses. Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort will lead the search for Gannon’s replacement.
Falcons: Atlanta dismissed head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot on Sunday night. Morris went 16–18 in two years with the Falcons, missing the playoffs both years with the team. Fontenot had been with the Falcons since 2021, but he also failed to have a winning season or a playoff berth. Rich McKay, the longtime right-hand man of owner Arthur Blank, is also stepping down as CEO, and the franchise is creating a new position, president of football, and it is widely expected to be former Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who is currently an NFL analyst for CBS Sports.
Giants: New York is in the market for the franchise’s fifth head coach in the past decade, after firing Brian Daboll on Nov. 10, following a 2–8 start to the season. The Giants finished the season 4–13, but owners John Mara and Steve Tisch reiterated in a statement on Black Monday that Joe Schoen will remain the team’s GM and continue to lead football operations and the search for the next head coach.
Titans: Tennessee became the first NFL team to fire its head coach this season, letting go of Brian Callahan on Oct. 13 after a 1–5 start, and just 23 games in charge of the team (he exits with a 4–19 overall record). The quick trigger from Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk increases the organization’s recent high-turnover rate, which includes eight hirings and firings involving the head coach position and front office since December 2022. Strunk on Jan. 2 announced a restructuring of the front office that will see GM Mike Borgonzi now have final say on the team’s 53-man roster, as well as be tasked with leading the head coach search. Borgonzi and the president of football operations, Chad Brinker, will both report to Strunk.
Safe, for Now
Beyond the firings, the Bengals on Monday announced coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin (the team doesn’t have a GM) will be retained for the 2026 season. The Colts released a similar letter to fans, announcing GM Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen will return.
Todd Bowles is returning to the Buccaneers as head coach for the 2026 season, but on Thursday, the team announced that his staff would look much different as it parted ways with five assistant coaches.
