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The Miami Dolphins have announced the hiring of Jeff Hafley as the team’s new head coach. Hafley joins the Dolphins after two seasons as the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator and replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired after four seasons with the team. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross released a statement after the announcement of Hafley’s hiring. “I believe great things are ahead for the Miami Dolphins with Jeff Hafley leading the way,” Ross stated. “Jeff is an accomplished coach with a proven track record as a leader and motivator. He has tenacity and grit, while at the same time establishing trust with his players in order to get the most out of them. I am excited to see where Jeff leads us, alongside [general manager] Jon-Eric Sullivan and our entire football operation, as we seek to return the Dolphins to sustained success.” Welcome to Miami, Coach Hafley. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/99GEPZXf48— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 20, 2026 New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was hired las week and also joins the Dolphins from the Packers, said in a released statement, “Jeff is a man of integrity, intellect, and great passion who player will buy into and play for. He has a vision for the kind of team we will be and the ability to motivate them to move in one direction on the path towards that goal. I am thrilled to go on this journey with him and together we will build a winner that this organization deserves.” The journey begins. pic.twitter.com/STcWHYqL3Z— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 20, 2026 According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dolphins and Hafley agreed to a five-year contract. The resume 📝 pic.twitter.com/jqNVZkSPqW— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 20, 2026

After seven years with not a sniff of the Super Bowl in the Matt LaFleur era, Green Bay Packers president and CEO Ed Policy was tasked with his first big decision this offseason. Ultimately, he and the Packers opted to extend LaFleur’s contract. They took the safe route. There’s a high floor with LaFleur in place as the head coach. The Packers have made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons at the helm. After agreeing to an extension on Saturday, Green Bay has the comfort of knowing that much should stay intact. The odds of things completely bottoming out are unlikely, especially with how players spoke of LaFleur at the end of the season in lobbying for his return. Plenty of franchises would gleefully sign up for that. Constant playoff appearances? A shot at the division every year (despite the fact that every team in the NFC North has claimed the crown since Green Bay last did)? It doesn’t sound so bad. The issues stem from LaFleur’s tendency to crumble in big spots. Often, clock management and game management play a big part in that. Policy’s first big move could’ve been a seismic shift; instead, he took the conservative route. For those already reaching for a keyboard to pound out, Who’s available that you’d rather have!?, consider that the Buffalo Bills could’ve taken that same approach after the Denver Broncos eliminated them, but instead parted ways with head coach Sean McDermott on Monday. The Bills have an MVP quarterback in Josh Allen and an organization that has consistently made the playoffs since McDermott took over in 2017. After a devastating overtime loss to Denver, it would’ve been easy to stick to the status quo. Instead, the Bills didn’t panic, wondering who was available. The powers that be recognized that they needed to make a change, and now Buffalo will have a new head coach entering 2026. Matt LaFleur could get Green Bay back to the Super Bowl. Still, if you’re looking for historical precedent to support that theory, there isn’t much of it. You could argue that Policy is settling for good rather than great, which shouldn’t be the goal. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that LaFleur’s extension is not a prove-it deal but a real commitment. That could be hard to stomach for fans focused on the fact that the Packers lost five consecutive games to end the season, including multiple collapses against Denver and the Chicago Bears. Those who support the decision will focus on LaFleur’s overall record rather than his 38-33-1 performance, including the postseason, over the last four years. They’ll highlight that injuries are costing the Packers more in 2025 than any in-game decisions made by LaFleur. All of which is true. However, if Green Bay hasn’t even gotten to the Super Bowl in seven years, why should anyone be optimistic that it will finally click in Year 8 or 9? Policy perhaps looked at the broader picture and realized if the Packers dumped LaFleur and the next hire didn’t work out, it’d be an early blemish — and a big one — on his résumé. Factoring such things into the equation shouldn’t be part of it. But come on, he’s human. Former Packers offensive lineman and current co-host of Wilde and Tausch, Mark Tauscher, put it best on Monday. I really believe it’s, okay, let’s see. What are they gonna do different? How is it gonna change? … My question has always been, what is gonna change? How’s it gonna end different? … Alright, great, have a great regular season. What are you gonna do in the postseason? This Matt LaFleur era is now basically evolved into, alright, regular season you’re gonna be fine, hopefully better than what you’ve been. But you’re gonna get in the dance and then it’s gonna be, can you do it when the money is on the table? That last part is critical. Can you do it when the money is on the table? For seven years, the answer has been no. Many of Green Bay’s playoff losses have involved either blowing a lead or getting in its own way. How does that change? Bringing Matt LaFleur back is not a…

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