Miami Dolphins 2026 Head Coach Odds: The John Harbaugh Sweepstakes Begin

By Christopher Boan

Jan 8th, 2026 11:11 AM EST

Harbaugh will be the Dolphins' top target (USATODAY)

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Change is officially coming to Miami Gardens and NFL betting sites, as Mike McDaniel’s four-year run as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins is over, with owner Stephen Ross opting to fire the 42-year-old after a 7-10 season.  

McDaniel’s time with the Dolphins ends on a 35-33 note, with consecutive losing seasons in 2024 and 2025 and zero playoff wins in the two years where they made the postseason.  

Now, to get a sense of where Ross and company will go next, Bookies.com broke down the odds on which candidate will be the next Dolphins head coach, with a recently fired coach atop our list right now.    

Who Will Be Next Dolphins Coach?

Who Replaces McDaniel? A Look At The Dolphins Candidates 

Right now, our top candidate for the Miami opening is the man who was fired by the Ravens earlier this week, with John Harbaugh holding +500 odds of replacing McDaniel in 2026.  

Prior to getting the boot, Harbaugh was the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL (behind Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers), with a Super Bowl title and a 13-11 record in 24 playoff games dating back to his first season in the Charm City back in 2008.  

Brady, Minter Could Be Harbaugh Backups

Outside of Harbaugh, keep an eye on NFL coordinators like Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady (+800), Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Green Bay Packers DC Jeff Hafley (+900) and the two-way tie between former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur (+1000 each).  

Brady’s time in Buffalo has seen the AFC East stalwart win 25 games over the last two years with last year’s team making the AFC Conference Championship game for the first time since 2020, to go with his work as the LSU Tigers’ pass game coordinator during the team’s CFP title season in 2019.  

Minter’s been along for the ride alongside Jim Harbaugh since arriving in Ann Arbor in 2022, serving as the Michigan Wolverines DC in 2022 and 2023 before moving with the head coach to Los Angeles in 2024.  

During L.A.’s successive 11-6 seasons in 2024 and 2025, Minter’s helped install the NFL’s top scoring defense in 2024 (allowing 17.7 points per game), with this year’s team ranking ninth by that metric (allowing 20.0 points per game).  

Kingsbury’s time in D.C. came to an end at year’s end after Washington collapsed on the field during a 5-12 season, though he did play a key role in the rise of QB Jayden Daniels during the Commanders’ triumphant 12-5 season back in 2024.  

LaFleur has been an NFL offensive coordinator since 2021, when he took over for the New York Jets for two years before moving to the Rams in 2023, where he helped L.A. post the league’s highest scoring offense in 2025 (averaging 30.5 points per game).  

Who Else To Watch in Miami?  

As far as Dolphins longshot contenders are concerned, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator (and former Jets head coach) Robert Saleh and Rams DC Chris Shula are next in line, at +1750 each, while two more candidates (in Ravens OC Todd Monken and Chargers OC Greg Roman) are listed at +2000 apiece, while Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak and former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski round things out at +3500 each.  

For now, what we know is that the Dolphins are in need of a new head coach for the first time since 2022, as Mike McDaniel’s time with the club officially ended on Thursday morning, potentially opening the door for a longstanding AFC head coach to start over with a new franchise in the new year.  

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