Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins have made a poor start to the 2025 season after losing five of their opening six games. The Dolphins' hopes of making the playoffs further diminished as they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 29-27 on Sunday.
Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters after the game that the team has a leadership issue.
"We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late; guys not showing up to player-only meetings. There’s a lot that goes into that," Tagovailoa said.•
NFL fans and analysts have called for Miami to fire coach McDaniel since Tagovailoa's post-game comments went viral on Sunday, suggesting that he has lost the backing of some of his players. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho claims that Tagovailoa's remarks give the public the impression that the Dolphins' players don't "respect" McDaniel.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
Acho argued on Monday's episode of the SpeakEasy show that the Dolphins must relieve McDaniel of his duties because it is obvious that he is no longer in control of the team's locker room.
"The reason McDaniel can't stay is because players do not respect him," Acho said. "And I know players do not respect him because if you call a player's only meeting, even if you don't respect the player, you show up because you respect the coach. You show up because you respect the organization."The Dolphins are set to miss out on a postseason berth for the second consecutive season. However, based on current reports, it is unlikely that the team will sack McDaniel before the season ends.
NFL insider Adam Schefter claimed on Monday's "Pat McAfee Show" that the Dolphins are unlikely to fire the coach in the middle of the season.
"I don't see a coaching move being done anytime soon," Schefter said. "I don't see a head coach losing his job. Mike McDaniel has come under intense criticism, I don't see that happening soon."This story suggests that McDaniel may be safe, but there is a possibility that the Dolphins could undergo an overhaul after the end of the 2025 season.
Mike McDaniel unhappy with Tua Tagovailoa's post-game press conference
Mike McDaniel didn't appear to mind Tua Tagovailoa's comments regarding his teammates skipping meetings on Sunday, even implying that it was an attempt to hold the players accountable.
That position seems to have changed since then, though. McDaniel stated on Monday that he did not like Tagovailoa publicly criticizing his teammates.
"Regardless of intent and what was on Tua’s mind, after a loss, as the franchise quarterback, that’s not the forum to displace that. I think he knows that now," McDaniel said. "I do, honestly believe, there’s no ill intention. But you’re talking about kind of a misrepresentation of player-orchestrated film sessions."The Dolphins' sole win this season was against the winless New York Jets in Week 4. Many people are wondering how long McDaniel will be the coach in Miami, given the continued bad performance, and it seems that this situation has begun to cause tension in the locker room.
McDaniel has advised the players to concentrate on getting better ahead of the upcoming game against the Cleveland Browns.
Why did you not like this content?
- Clickbait / Misleading
- Factually Incorrect
- Hateful or Abusive
- Baseless Opinion
- Too Many Ads
- Other
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
About the author
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash