NFL fans have been privy to seeing NFL head coaches tell players that they didn’t make the cut during training camp. HBO’s “Hard Knocks” has presented a number of situations like that when teams appear on the show.
But what happens when an NFL player is a witness to an NFL head coach losing his job? That’s exactly what happened when Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller was having a conversation with now-former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
Dolphins’ Darren Waller Recalls Mike McDaniel Getting Fired
McDaniel took over the reins of the Dolphins on the field in the 2022 NFL season after an extensive background working with other NFL teams’ staffs.
McDaniel finished the 2025 NFL season with a 7-10 record at Miami. In fact, his final two seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach saw him post losing records. In four seasons at Miami, McDaniel had a 35-33 overall record before getting fired.
Waller appeared on the “Glory Daze Podcast” with former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. On the podcast, Waller recalled how things went down as he was having a conversation with McDaniel himself.
“I was at the scene of the crime”
Darren Waller was the last person to see Mike McDaniel before he was fired🤯
Full interview with Darren Waller is live now on Youtube and Spotify🤝 pic.twitter.com/QnF3H9L6Ed
— Glory Daze Podcast (@glorydazepod) January 15, 2026
Waller told Manziel he was present during McDaniel’s final moments with the Dolphins. He said his exit meeting with McDaniel took place that Thursday morning, when the coach assured him he wanted him back next season. As they reflected on the year, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross entered the room and joined the conversation.
“He comes in and joins the conversation,” Waller said. “We’re all talking, reflecting on the year, and then, the conversation hits a lull. I’m sitting across the desk from Mike. Stephen Ross is standing there just kind of looking at me, like, ‘It’s time for you to get the hell out.’
“I looked at Mike, and he said, ‘We’ll finish this conversation later,'” Waller said. “I didn’t know. They had the GM search in full flow. I didn’t know what big business they had to talk about. So I go out of the meeting, I go downstairs and get a massage. I come up from the massage, check my phone, he’s fired. … I’m like, ‘Damn, this s**t cold.'”
To add some additional context, McDaniel’s close friend, comedian Dan Soder, has said that Ross had told McDaniel he’d be back next year. So it’s safe to say McDaniel was blindsided, especially since he got through Black Monday.
The Dolphins are still in search mode when it comes to a new head coach. Waller came out of retirement in the 2025 NFL season to play for Miami. According to the PFSN NFL TE Impact Metric, which is measured through the regular season, Waller didn’t finish with enough statistics to earn an impact score or grade.
Waller finished with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns last season. Waller, like the rest of the NFL world, will wait and see who Ross picks to lead the Dolphins next season.
