After a disappointing 7-10 season, the Miami Dolphins are entering a new era. With the Dolphins firing head coach Mike McDaniel after the season, the days of Miami’s explosive speed-oriented offense that was tailored around the skillset of Tua Tagovailoa seem to be coming to an end. Now, the team must establish their new identity.
The first step in that process was hiring a new general manager. Following the season, the Dolphins hired Hall of Famer Troy Aikman to help consult in their search for a general manager. With Aikman’s help, the Dolphins hired former Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan to be the team’s new general manager. Regarding what he wanted to do as general manager of the Dolphins, Sullivan said, “Build a tough, physical, talented team that’s resilient and can thrive in any situation, any element and win.”
Now that the Dolphins have their general manager, they’ve begun their search for the team’s new head coach. And after a first-round of interviews, it seems there’s a favorite to become the Dolphins’ new head coach.
Frontrunner Emerges for Dolphins Head Coaching Job
In their coaching search, the Miami Dolphins have cast a wide net of candidates, as they’ve either requested or had interviews with 11 different men. However, it seems the Dolphins are close to narrowing down their search, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that a candidate has emerged as the frontrunner for the job. Pelissero said, “Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has emerged as a frontrunner for the Dolphins head coaching job, per sources. No final decisions made. More interviews are scheduled. Four other teams have requested second interviews with Hafley. But he appears to be the leading candidate in Miami.”
Many immediately made the connection with Hafley once Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired by the Dolphins. They were both with the Packers for the previous two seasons, and Hafley seemed like a natural fit to follow Sullivan’s philosophy. Additionally, Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson added that, “The rep for one of the at least 11 people who received interview requests from the Dolphins said his belief is that it’s Hafley’s job to lose.”
Despite Hafley being Miami’s likely top target, he might opt to go to another destination. NFL insider Jordan Schulz reported that, “Hafley, I’m told, is a likely finalist everywhere he’s interviewed — including the Dolphins, Raiders, Steelers, Cardinals, Browns.” Regarding Miami’s interest in Hafley, Schulz said, “Jon-Eric Sullivan has targeted Hafley a “key priority” in its head coaching search”
Jeff Hafley’s Coaching Background
Hafley does not have NFL head coaching experience like some of the other candidates Miami has interviewed during this process. However, he was previously a head coach at the college level. Hafley served in that role at Boston College for four seasons, before deciding to return to the NFL, where he served as the Packers defensive coordinator in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
As a head coach, Hafley led Boston College to an unimpressive 22-26 record in four seasons. However, Boston College was bowl eligible in three out of the four seasons Hafley led the team. He finished his tenure with a 7-6 record in 2023, which ended with a win in the Fenway Bowl over No. 24 ranked SMU.
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