Subscribe
Follow Us
Every year, a few NFL head coaches get let go before the season's end, and there are always a few surprises among those released. In 2025, NBC Sports analyst Mike Florio believes it could be the Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel and New York Giants' Brian Daboll who receive the axe.
Specifically, McDaniel is the coach at the top of the hot seat list in Florio's eyes. Following a massively disappointing 8-9 season in 2024, McDaniel must prove he can still lead a championship-caliber team before his ownership becomes impatient, according to Florio.
“Even at a time when everyone is 0-0 and all teams have plausible hope, it feels like the window has closed for a Dolphins team that could end up flying straight into the glass in 2025,” Florio wrote. “There's dysfunction. There's turmoil… Ultimately, it comes down to whether Stephen Ross will demand a major change if 2025 ends up being another disappointing season. Thirty years ago, the late Jets owner Leon Hess fired Pete Carroll after one season by saying this, ‘I'm 80 years old, I want results now.' Stephen Ross is five years older than Hess was when he said that.”
After leading the Dolphins to an 11-6 record in 2023, many viewed McDaniel as one of the league's premier coaches. Yet, one year later, he finds himself in hot seat conversations in the ever-unforgiving NFL.
Even if he is not fired, the 2025 season is the final year of McDaniel's four-year contract. Another playoff-less season could cause Miami to look elsewhere in the 2026 offseason.
Article Continues Below
Brian Daboll under just as much pressure as Mike McDaniel
Daboll is Florio's second-most likely coach to receive his pink slip by a thin margin. However, unlike McDaniel's situation, Florio believes Daboll is simply dealing with an unstable organization and may suffer as a result.
“One day, Giants co-owner John Mara said he'd be sticking with GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. Then, Mara said he's running out of patience. It's a mixed message to Daboll as to the potential impact of the upcoming season, and it necessarily puts him on the hot seat. It shouldn't. The Giants are in a difficult division. They need plenty of help from a talent standpoint. Mara should give his regime more time.”
McDaniel and Daboll are far from the only coaches under scrutiny ahead of the 2025 NFL season, but are forced into precarious situations. Both continue to struggle with issues largely out of their control. While McDaniel's Dolphins deal with PR nightmares and disgruntled stars, Daboll's primary issue with the Giants' ownership might somehow be worse.
