The Miami Dolphins have finalized an agreement with Jeff Hafley, the former head coach of Boston College and defensive coordinator for the Packers, to become their new head coach, as informed by a reliable source on Monday. The deal is pending finalization of the contract.
Jeff Hafley will be taking over the coaching role from Mike McDaniel, who was let go after a four-season record of 35-33. Furthermore, the Dolphins parted ways with their long-time general manager, Chris Grier, during the season.
Having spent two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Hafley had a second interview with the Dolphins earlier in the day before being offered the coaching position. He will be teaming up with the new Dolphins’ general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Previously, the 46-year-old Hafley left Boston College in 2024 to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, where he collaborated with Sullivan for two seasons. Hafley also had coaching stints with the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2018 and with the Cleveland Browns as a secondary coach for two years.
Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was previously the vice president of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers, joined the Dolphins as the general manager after a 22-year tenure with the Packers.
The hiring of Jeff Hafley aligns with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ strategy of taking chances on coaches without prior NFL head coaching experience. Ross has a history of hiring coaches like Joe Philbin, Adam Gase, Brian Flores, and Mike McDaniel, none of whom had prior NFL head coaching experience when hired.
Mike McDaniel was relieved of his duties after a 7-10 season, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year. This decision is part of an organizational overhaul that may involve seeking a new quarterback and potentially moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, the former first-round pick.
Tua Tagovailoa faced a challenging season, being benched for the final three games in 2025 after displaying declines in accuracy and mobility. Despite signing a lucrative contract extension in July 2024, Tagovailoa threw 15 interceptions in 2025, the second-highest in the league and a career high.
The Dolphins also considered other coaching candidates such as Kevin Stefanski, Klint Kubiak, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula, and Anthony Campanile during their search for a new head coach.