Mike McDaniel – March 31, 2025
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Monday, March 31, 2025
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(What has been the offseason approach so far, finding some pieces at an economical price?) – “I think this being – going into Year 4 and working with (General Manager) Chris (Grier) was very powerful in that we could really, every year, specifically now where veteran contracts are getting shorter and shorter, post their first contract, their second and third contracts are getting shorter and shorter. You’re having to solve different problems, and I think the way we’ve attacked it directly relates to the lessons learned, both good and bad, from the two previous years. When I talk about the vision that I have for our team in 2025, that includes players that are on the upward ascension of development, players that I think that we can further develop and that can contribute to a culture of a team-first mentality that wins down the stretch of the season. So far, so good – we still have a lot of work. Free agency has gotten a little longer, so to speak, in my opinion. I think it gets drawn out; there’s a lot of transactions early and then people are kind of trying to find their best fit. We’re in communication with some players and we have 10 draft picks, and those guys are unique because you have the ability to have a four- to five-year contracted employee that really can influence the character and culture of your team as you progress. I’m really excited specifically for what we have done, who the types of players that we’ve added (are) and the scope of how we’re going to address our needs. I would love to tell you exactly what we’re doing. Vaguely, I think that would be a competitive disadvantage. It is so far, so good in lesser words.”
(WR Tyreek Hill posted on social media what appeared to be a peace out emoji in response to a post suggesting he could be traded. Have you spoken to him about this?) – “I have not spoken about alleged ‘read-ins’ on social media, no, because he’s definitely been a face within our building in the time period of end of season before Phase 1 starts. He’s been in the building more this year than the other years combined. Him and (Wide Receivers Coach) Robert Prince have spent a good amount of time together. I think beyond that who knows – Tyreek is known for whatever antics on social media he’s entertaining and whatever. We’re in a good spot where if there was anything I needed to know, direct communication would be executed.”
(Would you be disappointed if the team voted WR Tyreek Hill as a team captain given his antics from “I’m out” to trolling on social media yesterday? And if they did vote him a team captain, would you take that?) – “I think that’s a great question because I think our team in that scenario, I would be pumped if he was voted captain, because I think that Tyreek being accountable for who he is as a competitor and what he’s learned from in his journey, I think that that means that his teammates have seen him completely – that they’ve all as teammates fully embraced the whole process of, ‘Hey, I’m a human being. This is wrong, this is right. This is how I want to do things.’ So to me that would show a healthy evolution, because any time anything happens it’s very natural – you have teammates that you love, they do something that they regret or maybe that they wish they could have done over again. Well then you give them the opportunity to prove otherwise, and I think that’s what Tyreek’s up for the challenge because Tyreek wants to set the standard of what type of competitors we have. So I think if we’re in a spot like that, we’re probably healthy in a way that would be good for the organization and all of Fins nation.”
(Can you say with certainty that WR Tyreek Hill will be on the team this season?) – “I can certainly say with certainty that at this certain moment. A lot of things can happen in the National Football League, so you throw absolutes out there and then I’m – ‘hey, you said this.’ But yeah, we are fully planning to move forward as a better version of our relationship with Tyreek and the Miami Dolphins. I have no reason to think otherwise.”
(You used the word “accountable” earlier, when answering a question about WR Tyreek Hill. His most recent actions publicly were the “I’m out” thing and then some of the things he said on social media. So is there something maybe he said to you that tells you he’s turning the corner and that he will be more accountable?) – “Absolutely. That’s very fair and I appreciate how you painted that picture. I totally – I would anticipate and totally understand the scope with which the fan base has a vision on and what the in-house relationships are. I’m speaking from a place of that’s a scar when it happens to you. That’s what I talked about out on my couch the day after the game with Tyreek that like, ‘Hey, that’s something we have now gone through. What are we going to do about it?’ And I see action. The phrase I use with the players all the time is that I see better than I hear. And so the offseason connectivity based upon my relationship and my experience in previous offseasons, how he’s been in the building, what he’s been talking about. I know what has been put on display during the regular season when we’ve had a fully attacking Tyreek Hill in the offseason being the pace car for all the sprints, all of those things, and I fully expect to get a better version of that horse that is the reason he was voted captain. I think that’s the biggest thing. There’s been a lot of work that we don’t go and publicize but hours of human connectivity gives me the confidence that we’re in a good space. And you know what? No one’s entitled to anything, including myself. I fully expect that during any NFL season that if based upon my work, if there was someone that would be better served – the team would be better off – in place of me to do that work, I should immediately be replaced. I feel confident because he’s saying and doing the right things and from an organizational standpoint, we’ve said that it’s unacceptable. I say those words because, ‘OK, well we’re not going to accept that.’ He knows that, he’s comfortable with that. There’s a good opportunity for Tyreek Hill to do what’s best served for him and his career and what’s best served for the Dolphins – for everybody – is him excelling. I have confidence that he’s putting himself in that position and the second that he gives me information that I should think otherwise, then I’ll adjust.”
(On another level, we know he went through the wrist surgery and all. At what point will he be a full go? Will it be the start of training camp? The regular season?) – “And this was important in the process because we really wanted to have a good offseason with him, and he prioritized that, so he made sure to be proactive and the biggest thing is he’s able to run. So that process, we don’t have to rush, and he will be able to do the things – there’s so much in the receiver game in particular, the technique and fundamentals that are critical to you doing exceptional has to do with your feet and not contact. He’ll be in the offseason – we won’t rush it so there won’t be any setbacks, but we’ll gradually work him into catching the football and going through that process so that at the end of the offseason program we should be able to get that work that we were unable to the season before. The key thing is that he can run now, so there’s a lot of participation available to him in the offseason program which is what the team and what he needed.”
(You had the Commanders in training camp last year. I know you got your own job, but the job that Dan Quinn did with the Commanders, and do you expect that you guys will be the international game?) – “I’m pretty sure we’re going international – I think we know that. It’s hard to keep track of what I’m supposed to say and what I’m not. (laughter) We will be in Madrid. I don’t know against who. But I know as much as I could doing the job that I have about Dan Quinn’s season last year because I was chewing at the bit for that opportunity for some time. I know what kind of coach Dan Quinn is. I also know what type of general manager Adam Peters is working with him for five years in San Francisco. And I knew Dan was going to – he just really, really does things for the right reasons and is passionate about it. So he’s been waiting for the opportunity, I couldn’t wait for him to get it. I thought, ‘what a perfect scenario’ having worked there previous of coaching for a fan base that truly appreciates what he has to offer. So I was expecting some positive returns, I don’t think I could have forecasted it that quick, but I didn’t rule it out either because they’re building stuff the right way. In the National Football League, starting from the top, when you have a good relationship, a good working relationship that’s real between the head coach and general manager and you’re making decisions for a concerted right reason above board, ego, whatever, it’s a matter of time, but I see success more often than not in those situations. So I’m very fired up because to me, Dan Quinn attacks the job the way organizations, the way fan bases, the way players all deserve. He is going all in and doing whatever he can to help realize players’ dreams and help win football games, so huge Dan Quinn fan if you didn’t notice.”
(When do you expect to hear from T Terron Armstead and DT Calais Campbell and would Terron come back as a starter or as a reserve?) – “Both guys – there’s a reason they’re some of our favorite guys – great communication with both of them. Calais (Campbell) specifically is in a unique situation where he is assessing multiple options as a player in the 45th year of his career. (laughter) So I understand and there’s a lot at play in that with regard to all right, so your play is high, you decided to play another year; he’s assessing those options. He was a very important player to the team last year, and I see him having the opportunity to be a very important player on the team this year. I also see within that position group because of reasons of competitive disadvantage that I mentioned before, I can’t – I feel like we have some options at the position. He has some options. That position in particular has been a focal point of mine this offseason and I feel good about how it could play out and there’s a couple different scenarios it could play out, as well as Terron – like I said at Indy, it’s important for me to operate as though he is unavailable to us. He’s a consummate professional that has earned this opportunity to figure out what he wants to do with his life, however I do feel in a reasonable amount of – I don’t know, what’s a reasonable amount of time? Reasonably, let’s say two weeks, I just feel he’s getting close. He’s getting closer to having conviction, but we’re in constant communication with him as well.”
(Would T Terron Armstead come back as a starter as a reserve?) – “That’s something that I think that will kind of be motivated by – the great thing about Terron (Armstead) and I is we have had unbelievable amount of conversations about his body and how he feels. And so I think tied into that, where he’s at relative to other years and how we can realistically forecast it, I think that’s going to kind of shape the answer to that question because it hasn’t ever been about Terron’s play. It’s been about how he’s been available and he’s been straining to be more available for us than probably a counterpart would; he’s played through a lot of stuff. I think we’re fortunate that we have a heavy amount of reps on the topic and we’ll be able to have a conversation about what that looks like because that will be clean when that comes, what he’ll be coming back as whether that – and if he would be even able to compete to be able to withstand the rigors of the season as a starter.”
(Why do you have confidence that QB Zach Wilson is the right choice if QB Tua Tagovailoa were to miss time as he has, we all know, in some recent years?) – “I think it’s layered. This was something that was on our mind for a considerable amount of time and it goes back to everybody has a different circumstance, but we drafted a quarterback in San Francisco the year he came out. I watched every snap of his collegiate play, and he was a phenomenal talent that in my opinion didn’t have reps in an NFL pocket yet. Like at BYU he was launching it from about 10 and 11 yards deep and you’re not in the phone booth, and so my estimation, there was going to be some nuanced growth to his game that I think it is close to impossible to excel that early in that new form of football that he was playing. That’s powerful to me in that there’s very few people that know what it’s like to be drafted high in New York City, and so then to see his resolve, to see where he’s digested the whole situation. It’s like anything for all of us; if you have adversity in your life, that can be a source of strength and growth, or it could be a source of all right, that’s what defines you and you can’t get over that. What I see in Zach (Wilson) is the experience of being the second pick in the draft, being the starter Week 1 and then not fulfilling the rookie contract; that is behind him. So to me, that’s an exciting prospect because you can’t put a measurement on that human ability that is huge at the quarterback position. Not comparing the players at all – on the record, not comparing the players – Tua (Tagovailoa) found that this environment helped him through that process. As coaches, we want to offer literally everything to his game and I’m excited about where he’s at based upon him.”
(On signing QB Zach Wilson over a more veteran quarterback) – “To be quite frank, it’s an inexact science, but we thought he was the best option for us. I think he was very much – I guess you guys wouldn’t know this, I guess you guys are flying blind so let me help you out (laughter) – he was a direct calculated target. We thought that was a way that the Miami Dolphins could get better and are excited to see how he seizes that opportunity.”
(Has Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross given you a minimum standard for this season for you to retain your job – nine wins, 10 wins, playoff win?) – “No, that would be a very unique conversation. I think it’s important – I see the pattern of what it is to be a head coach and the responsibilities and the realities of it very clearly. Mr. Ross has been only supportive to me. Ultimately, the way I look at is I expect him to act on what I believe my position to be; I’m not entitled to my position as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. As we work together, he 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. There’s variables in success. (Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach) Nick Sirianni – I want to be on that hot seat he was on last year. (laughter) What else would I expect – you’re not entitled to the position and ultimately, if it’s deemed that the organization would be best served with someone else, I’m more onboard with that than people realize. I think that’s a natural part of – it’s why I was able to not change when the same people are pointing out my familiars were hyping me up through success. This is the fastest changing world in sports. Again, Nick 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? I think it’s important for me to do my job the right way that I never look at any sort of entitlement to having the job, because shame on me for everybody involved. I’m very comfortable in that. Every year to me, if you’re not feeling heat on the seat, you have the wrong urgency. 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. It’s as matter fact as that, so we don’t have to have any of those weird conversations.”
(Earlier you alluded to culture as being a driver for both free agency and the 10 draft picks. What would the ideal culture look like to you?) – “I think culture is defined by the human beings. I think what’s unique and I think could be something that, I don’t know if I investigate it, I could write about is that there is more roster turnover in the National Football League now. There are smaller veteran contracts, right? Or there’s smaller second- and third-year contracts; you’re seeing a lot more three years, or two years, or one year. So how do you have a sustained culture, well it’s by the people. Draft classes not only have to be impactful Year 1 – your draft classes are also your four- to five-year commitments that you have the ability to set the tonality of how your team is or the culture that it has. To me, I was very happy with last year’s draft class. (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and I are working day and night to make sure that we have the same vigor about the opportunity with the 10 draft picks this year, because you’re talking about in two years 17 players that you have a sustained process in a league where with parity it’s all about development. We’re trying to get the right guys to develop as professionals, and their core value has to be team football, football-winning and they really have to get joy out of that. That was a component that was consistent among the different personalities we drafted last year; all of these guys were living and breathing football. I think that’s even more important as each team, all 32, have a unique exercise that has changed in the last couple of years specifically of your football team having an identity that progresses while handling all of the roster turnover that’s natural with all of these shorter contracts that people are signed up for. I think the draft has always been fun; the draft has always been important. There is a unique twist to the draft now as I see it big picture, and it’s very important that we not only take all the things that we did well from last year in that draft class, but we have 10 picks so we try to have as many contributors to our football team and our culture as possible with those draft picks that will be here for a minute.”
(As a play-calling a head coach, what do you value most from your offensive coordinator and support staff?) – “I think it’s super important as a play-calling head coach that the only way that you can even enter into that sphere is if you’re properly assisted, because there’s a merger so to speak of a couple of jobs. You can’t do two jobs – you’ll be poor at both. So to merge those, there has to be a support system within the coaching staff that enables you to do that, and what that is are people that can see the game how you will see it, or anticipate how you’ll see it, and really do a lot of front-end work so you can make your decisions that you normally do in a shorter amount of time. So what does that look like for me? Starting with (Offensive Coordinator) Frank Smith and then (Offensive Line Coach) Butch Barry and I added (Senior Passing Game Coordinator) Bobby Slowik – those guys, they should be able to tell me what personnel group I should be studying first, where I used to have to figure out that the best personnel group to study was this that deep into my process – they should get me there, so example like that. They have to be very adept at their job, they have to be self-starters. You can’t do it without the right support or you’ll fail at both. There is one place that you can’t hide in the National Football League, and that’s a play-calling head coach. You can’t hide there, so you better be supported.”
