The Miami Dolphins have officially appointed Jeff Hafley as their new head coach, according to a source familiar with the decision. Hafley, the former head coach of Boston College and defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, is set to take over from the recently ousted Mike McDaniel, who held a 35-33 record over four seasons. The Dolphins have also parted ways with their long-time general manager, Chris Grier.
Hafley, who had a two-year stint with the Packers, had a second interview with the Dolphins earlier in the day before being offered the coaching position. He will be reuniting with the Dolphins’ new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, in Miami.
The 46-year-old Hafley left Boston College in 2024 to join Green Bay as the defensive coordinator, where he collaborated with Sullivan for two seasons. Prior to that, Hafley coached the defensive backs for San Francisco from 2016 to 2018 and served as Cleveland’s secondary coach for two years.
Sullivan, who previously served as the vice president of player personnel for the Packers, has had a 22-year tenure with Green Bay before transitioning to the role of general manager for the Dolphins.
This hire aligns with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’s strategy of selecting candidates without prior NFL head coaching experience. Since taking ownership in 2009, Ross has not recruited a proven NFL coach, opting instead for new faces like Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21), and McDaniel (2022-25).
McDaniel’s dismissal came after a disappointing 7-10 season without a playoff appearance for the second consecutive year. The team is now likely to undergo significant changes, including potentially searching for a new quarterback and moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, the former first-round pick.
Tagovailoa faced a challenging 2025 season, being benched for the final three games after struggling with accuracy and mobility. Despite signing a lucrative contract extension in 2024, Tagovailoa threw 15 interceptions in 2025, the second most in the league.
The Dolphins considered several other coaching options during their search, including former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski, who recently joined Atlanta, as well as Klint Kubiak, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula, and Anthony Campanile, among others.