As a result, the head coach’s contract with the Miami Dolphins has ended.
When the Miami Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel broke the NFL record for most offensive yards through five weeks of a season back in October, people wanted to know what he thought. With a sarcastic undertone, McDaniel declared, “Mission accomplished.” “We set out to achieve that goal—output after five games—during the entire offseason.”
Ironically, the phrase “output after five games” perfectly captures the essence of these 2023 Dolphins. The Miami Dolphins were not so much eliminated as they were frozen solid and then smashed into a thousand pieces, much to the school bully in Rick and Morty, by their 26-7 loss to the Chiefs in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Saturday night.
Miami was blatantly unrivaled. Tyreek Hill’s touchdown pass, which was so poorly underthrown that Hill almost had to stop to grab it, was the only play that gave it any points. After Miami converted just one third down in the first fifty-five minutes of the game, it was obvious that this Dolphins club was not capable of a comeback, come rain or shine. It seems that McDaniel was also aware of it. With almost seven minutes remaining and facing a third-and-10 with a deficit of 19 points, McDaniel attempted a bubble screen that cost him six yards. He made a quick slant call on fourth down. In their biggest game of the season, the offense, led by the quarterback, which appeared unbeatable in September and October, had any energy.
There will always be a video of Taylor Swift dancing to “Swag Surfin'” at the conclusion of the game. But it will remain a monument to their failure, remembered solely by Dolphins supporters.
Although it was a harsh and depressing conclusion, the Dolphins’ season was exemplified by it. They lost the AFC East championship after losing to the Bills in Week 18 and were demolished 56-19 by the Ravens in Week 17, when they were no longer the top seed in the AFC.
There are several clear-cut explanations for why the Dolphins failed. Both running back Raheem Mostert and receiver Jaylen Waddle, who were tied for the league lead in touchdowns, sustained injuries in the final stages of the game. Due to injury, half of Miami’s starting defense—including its top three edge rushers—was unable to play in the playoffs. Miami, of all teams, was forced to play in one of the coldest games in NFL history, which was a cruel twist. At kickoff, the temperature at Arrowhead Stadium was minus-4 degrees, making it the fourth-coldest game start temperature ever. There have only been two games with a wind chill lower than Kansas City’s minus-27. The Dolphins had a home game against the Vikings only last season, and the sideline temperature was 122 degrees—a swing of 149 degrees in the feels like category.
Miami can make decisions, but it can also manufacture excuses. In 2024, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will begin the last year of his deal. This offseason, Miami must decide whether to replace the best quarterback the Dolphins have had since Dan Marino or offer him a quarter-billion dollar deal extension to stay competitive in the quarterback market.
Franchise quarterbacks usually have their contracts extended before their final season, even though Tagovailoa is under contract (the team selected his fifth-year option for 2024 during the 2023 offseason). Teams that break this guideline usually don’t get along in the long run. The Giants most recently allowed Daniel Jones to finish out his contract in 2022 and ultimately awarded him a $160 million deal last spring. (Jones only appeared in six games this season; the Giants lost all five of those games.) Jones is also experiencing his second neck ailment in four years. For three straight seasons, Washington allowed Kirk Cousins to play virtually on a one-year contract. As a result, the team paid him an absurd amount of money and lost him in free agency without receiving anything in return.
