Miami Dolphins fire general manager Chris Grier, Mike McDaniel likely next as team hits rock bottom
The Miami Dolphins parted ways with general manager Chris Grier Friday morning.
The Dolphins were embarrassed again – this time on national television against the Baltimore Ravens.
At 2-7, Miami’s season is over. The Dolphins literally have no chance of doing anything meaningful this season. Parting ways with a long-time executive at Grier proves they are waving the white flag on this whole operation.
And it’s for the best.
Mike McDaniel is also a dead man walking.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McDaniel will remain the Dolphins’ head coach for at least the remainder of Miami’s season. But after that, it’s hard to imagine a world in which he remains at the helm of the Dolphins.
The Dolphins paid Tua Tagovailoa a $212 million extension. Currently, he does not seem worthy of this extension.
Once one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL, McDaniel finds himself searching for answers during another lost season. Part of the problem has to be Tagovailoa. The duo that once seemed poised to be competitive in the AFC playoffs for years to come appears to be completely dead.
McDaniel’s offensive brilliance, coupled with the development of Tagovailoa and two stellar receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, just didn’t work.
Hill likely played his last game in a Dolphins uniform. But Tagovailoa remains under contract with the Dolphins through 2028, so their best bet might be to try to find a head coach who could reignite his career in Miami.
The Dolphins have good players. It will be fascinating to see what they do at the NFL trade deadline, especially with an interim general manager running the show.
Schefter reported that interim general manager Champ Kelly will make business decisions regarding key defensive players, including Matthew Judon, Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. If Kelly trades these key pieces, he’ll likely just get more draft picks for the next general manager to use.
But if he keeps these three players, Miami would not capitalize on the reconstruction that is looming with the arrival of a new regime in town.
Right now, there is no organization more dead than the Dolphins in the NFL. The New York Jets knew they weren’t going to be great. The Cleveland Browns knew they had work to do to get out of Deshaun Watson’s contract.
But with Grier gone and McDaniel just playing the role, the Dolphins raised the white flag.
