Following the first round of the NFL Playoffs, there are tons of teams with new openings at head coach and the coordinator positions. While the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers now stand at the forefront in terms of premier teams with a head coach opening, the Miami Dolphins aren’t too far behind. Yet only a couple of weeks ago, this didn’t seem like a possibility.
The Dolphins started out the 2025 season extremely poorly. A 1-6 start had head coach Mike McDaniel on the hottest hot seat imaginable. Then the team got its stuff together, winning five out of their next six games before falling apart once again. But the blame had shifted from McDaniel to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who reverted back to his turnover-prone, inefficient form. Ultimately, his performance led to a benching as the team was eliminated from postseason contention.
Despite the rocky season, it seemed like McDaniel was safe for at least another season. It didn’t come on Black Monday, but McDaniel was later fired by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross a few days after the final game of the season. It appeared as if Ross gave his initial decision a second thought.
Did Troy Aikman help Miami Dolphins get rid of Mike McDaniel?
According to comedian Dan Soder, a lifelong friend of McDaniel’s, that’s exactly what happened. But Soder took it a step further, claiming they “stabbed Mike in the back.”
Soder also believes Troy Aikman had something to do with the firing. Aikman had been serving as a consultant for the Dolphins in their general manager search after they fired Chris Grier. The color commentator may have played a role in McDaniels’ firing as well, as Soder believes Aikman had it out for the head coach for a while.
If the Dolphins were truly set on firing McDaniel, they likely would have done it right as the regular season concluded. The fact that they waited a couple of days lends credence to Soder’s account.
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