The San Francisco 49ers are the antithesis of nearly everything the Miami Dolphins are seven weeks through the season.
Whereas the Niners improved to a 5-2 record despite losing, well... almost every star player on both sides of the ball at various points, Miami is a woeful 1-6 squad without direction, coming off its worse loss of the season: a 31-6 defeat at the hands of another woeful squad, the Cleveland Browns.
Whereas head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh have somehow maximized the play from many a backup and fringe roster addition, made known during the Sunday Night Football win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel seemingly has zero answers for an offense that can't score, a defense that can't keep opponents out of the end zone and a locker room that appears to have fully given up.
Whereas Shanahan has fully silenced his doubters with what could be viewed as his best head-coaching efforts to date, McDaniel can barely get out of the way of his own words at press conferences.
But, for those thinking the longtime Shanahan protégé would soon be out of his job and potentially back in the Bay Area alongside Saleh, you might have to wait.
Rumors point to Mike McDaniel staying safe with Dolphins... for now
The calls for McDaniel's job are nothing new, and it would have been reasonable to assume Miami's front office would give the onetime San Francisco offensive coordinator the boot after just a dreadful outing against Cleveland.
But, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Dolphins aren't considering a head-coaching move at this time, meaning both McDaniel and embattled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa are safe for the time being:
Adam Schefter says the Dolphins' front office "is not planning any changes, anytime soon" regarding HC Mike McDaniel ✍️ pic.twitter.com/zgojZUgCvQ
— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2025
Good luck trying to figure out why. Even the most sympathetic 49ers fans who loved McDaniel during his time with the franchise would likely agree it's time for Miami to move on.
But, that's the Dolphins' problem for now.
A Week 12 bye could be the next milestone to watch for McDaniel and his job security, which seems inevitably trending toward termination with the only question being "when."
As for his eventual future, any thoughts of the increasingly isolated head coach somehow coming back to the Niners in one form or another have to be put on an inexplicable hold.