Two games into his fourth season as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, many believe Mike McDaniel is already on the hot seat.
McDaniel set a high bar for himself out the gate, leading Miami to a 9-8 record and playoff appearance in Year 1 followed by an 11-6 record and another playoff appearance in Year 2.
The problem is the Dolphins have seemingly regressed in the time 19 games since, finishing 8-9 last year - the first losing season of McDaniel's tenure - and losing their first two games of the 2025 season following Sunday's 33-27 loss to the New England Patriots.
Many fans have been vocal about wanting both McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier gone, given the way the last season-plus has gone.
Grier has drawn the ire of several for failing to invest in the offensive line to protect quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who's suffered multiple concussions during his five-plus seasons in Miami, and not failing to add the necessary pieces to dethrone the Buffalo Bills atop the AFC East.
Though McDaniel downplayed his worry about his job security, it's hard to ignore the clear message Dolphins fans sent him and Grier ahead of Sunday's game.
During warmups at Hard Rock Stadium, a plane flew overhead with a banner that read "Fire Grier, Fire McDaniel." Dolphins fans started a GoFundMe page last week, raising $1,918 to pay for the banner.
During his postgame media availability on Sunday, McDaniel was asked point-blank if he was worried about whether or not he's on the hot seat, to which he downplayed things being bed enough to warrant his firing.
"If I worry about my job security, I won't be doing my job," McDaniel said. "And I think that inherently is against all things I believe in. I've never felt entitled to this position, and it's very important for me to spend all of my waking hours worrying about exactly how to do my job and all the residual effects of that.
"There's a lot of people effected, so I won't spend one moment thinking about all the things...whatever people want me to think about - I'm thinking about this team and the Buffalo Bills here after I get done with this podium."
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