Mike McDaniel knows he needs to produce results in 2025 or else it could be his last as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. But that's nothing new, he says.
"Every year to me, if you’re not feeling heat on the seat, you have the wrong urgency," McDaniel told reporters Monday. "It should be that way every year, because this is not my gift. This is an incredible responsibility that I only sign up for because I think I’m the best person suited for it."
McDaniel led the Dolphins to the playoffs in his first two seasons with the team, although both campaigns ended with losses on Wild Card Weekend. His third season ended with an 8-9 record.
After a Week 18 loss to the New York Jets, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross opted against any major changes but warned in a statement that "continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptable that status quo is good enough."
"I’m not entitled to my position as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins," McDaniel said Monday. "As we work together, [Ross] knows my expectation is to be the best person for the job and that can get convoluted. Was I the best person for the job last year? We lost more than we won; we were 8-9. There is a bunch of variables in that."
The list of reasons for the lackluster year for the Dolphins was headlined by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering head and hip injuries that kept him out of the starting lineup for six games. Miami won just two of those matchups and finished a pair of wins behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos for the final spots in the postseason.
Bouncing back with a strong season in 2025 won't be easy, though. Even if the Dolphins get a healthy year from Tagovailoa, the team didn't have much cap space to make additions in free agency and still has more questions than answers about its offensive line, defensive line, and secondary.
But McDaniel is taking inspiration from a coach who entered the 2024 season with heat under his seat before leading his team to a Super Bowl victory.
"Nick Sirianni, I want to be on that hot seat he was on last year," McDaniel said. "Sirianni was on the hottest seat. If we [were] closer to the season that we were chasing, if we won two more games, does that make me a different coach?"
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins' Mike McDaniel on hot seat: 'I’m not entitled to my position'
