After a 7-10 season, the Miami Dolphins missed the postseason for the second consecutive season. They extended the NFL’s longest playoff win drought. Miami has not won a playoff game since the 2000 season, when they beat Seattle in the wild-card round.The Seahawks are now heading toward the Super Bowl in the NFC; meanwhile, Miami has not made the AFC Championship since the 1992 season.
The inability to end their playoff win drought is one of the reasons the Dolphins parted ways with former head coach Mike McDaniel. After four years and two playoff appearances that resulted in first-round exits, the team moved on. The Dolphins replaced McDaniel with former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Hafley is the eighth coach hired by the Dolphins since they last won a playoff game.
Unfortunately, Dolphins fans will have to endure another year of the drought. Meanwhile, their division rival is enjoying the opposite experience.
The Miami Dolphins Will Watch Their AFC East Rivals In Super Bowl
After a six-year absence, the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl after a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos, who were without starting quarterback Bo Nix. This marks the ninth Super Bowl appearance for the Patriots since the Dolphins last won a playoff game. For Dolphins fans, having to endure another Super Bowl from their division rivals is probably a tough pill to swallow as they have seen the Patriots build a dynasty, rebuild, and once again rise to the top of the conference.
To make matters worse, it’s become clear that the Dolphins will have to deal with two elite quarterbacks in their division with Josh Allen and now New England’s Drake Maye. With the win, Maye became the youngest quarterback since Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino to make the Super Bowl.
However, it isn’t all bad for the Dolphins. What New England did, turning around a 4-13 team in 2024 into an AFC Champion in 2025, is something the Dolphins should strive for. The Patriots found their franchise quarterback, and paired him with the right head coach. At the moment, the Dolphins quarterback situation remains a mystery, and now they will hope Hafley turns out to be as effective as head coach Mike Vrabel has been in New England.
Looking at the bright side in a situation like this is probably hard, but the Dolphins do possess four players who made ESPN’s Top 100 Most Valuable Players list. Next up for the team is finding a franchise quarterback.
Miami Dolphins’ Offseason Outlook
After the hirings of head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, the team quickly got to work in the offseason. First, Hafley hired key members of his staff including his offensive coordinator and special teams coach. The offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was previously a member of Mike McDaniel’s staff; meanwhile, special teams coach Chris Tabor was the Bills’ special teams coach in 2025.
Now, both men will have to find their starting quarterback for the 2026 season. A potential option that has been linked with the Dolphins is free-agent quarterback Malik Willis, who worked with the pair in Green Bay. As the Patriots showed, having the right quarterback and coach can quickly turn a team’s fortune around.
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