Following the Miami Dolphins’ embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Indianapolis Colts earlier this month, a report surfaced indicating that the team’s next several games could determine the futures of head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier.
Since that report surfaced, the Dolphins picked up another loss to the New England Patriots, but a source familiar with team owner Stephen Ross’ thinking reportedly told ESPN during the offseason and after Week 1 that it might not be as simple as “playoffs or bust” for McDaniel and Grier.
“A source familiar with Ross’ thinking told ESPN this offseason they don’t believe McDaniel’s and Grier’s job security is as simple as ‘playoffs or bust,’ and reiterated that sentiment after Week 1,” ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques wrote. “Grier said in January that Ross hadn’t issued any ultimatum to either of them. McDaniel said Monday that his conversations with Ross haven’t changed despite Sunday’s loss to the Patriots.”
While there are a couple of ways to interpret the report, it could mean that Miami missing the playoffs wouldn’t necessarily result in McDaniel and Grier being fired automatically (though one has to imagine that it would be on the table, especially if the team doesn’t show any signs of life in the near future).
McDaniel and Grier might be breathing sighs of relief if they’ve caught wind of the report from Louis-Jacques, as the Dolphins aren’t exactly on track to qualify for the playoffs. Miami is 0-2 on the season up to this point and could very well drop to 0-3 soon. The team has a bout against the undefeated Buffalo Bills on Thursday, and it has been several years since Miami picked up a win over the fellow AFC East squad.
It maybe wouldn’t be fair to can both Grier and McDaniel should the Dolphins fail to qualify for the playoffs, as there are factors outside of their control that have played a role in the team’s disastrous start to the 2025 campaign. Signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa has had real difficulties taking care of the ball after he made headlines at times for limiting his interceptions during the team’s training camp. Not only that, but injury woes haven’t been kind to an already thin Dolphins secondary.
The Dolphins have fielded multiple strong regular seasons under McDaniel and Grier in the past, as Miami won nine-plus games in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns and reached the playoffs in both seasons. While the Dolphins have yet to win a playoff game with them employed in their current positions, Miami has proven it can at least have productive regular-season teams under their leadership.
The problem now is that even the regular-season success the Dolphins once enjoyed under McDaniel and Grier may be slipping away, so they certainly have a lot to prove over the remainder of the 2025 campaign. It’s great for the sake of the job securities of both McDaniel and Grier that it may not be playoffs or bust for them, but they still want to get the Dolphins back in the playoffs and will be facing very long odds to do so should the team lose on Thursday.
