NFL coaching firings are brutal by nature.

But one Dolphins player just revealed how ruthless his team’s owner really could be.

Because an NFL star just went public with one wild story of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross kicking a door open during Mike McDaniel’s exit meeting.

Waller Caught In The Middle Of Coaching Execution

Dolphins tight end Darren Waller appeared on Johnny Manziel's Glory Daze podcast this week.

He told a story that left jaws on the floor about Mike McDaniel's firing.

Waller sat down with McDaniel last Thursday morning for what started as a routine exit interview.

McDaniel expressed interest in bringing Waller back for another season while they discussed the year that just ended.

That's when Ross interrupted the meeting.

"Stephen Ross kicked the door in and he comes in and joins the conversation," Waller explained.

Ross told Waller he'd love to have the tight end back next year.

Then the conversation hit an awkward lull.

"I'm sitting across the desk from Mike and Stephen Ross is just standing there looking at me," Waller said.

The message was clear without Ross saying a word.

McDaniel told Waller they'd finish the conversation later and the tight end left to get a massage downstairs.

Twenty minutes later when Waller checked his phone, McDaniel had been fired.

"I was at the scene of the crime," Waller said. "I think I was the last person that saw him before he got fired."

Waller summed up Ross's move with one word.

Cold.

Why The Timing Raises Eyebrows

Black Monday is the day after the regular season ends when most NFL coaching firings happen.

The Dolphins finished their season on January 4 with a loss to the Patriots.

Ross waited until Thursday to fire McDaniel.

That's five days after the season ended.

John Harbaugh had been fired by the Baltimore Ravens two days earlier.

The timing wasn't coincidental.

Multiple reports indicated Ross fired McDaniel because Harbaugh became available.

Ross is a University of Michigan alum and major booster with deep ties to the Harbaugh family.

Harbaugh interviewed with Miami but quickly signed a five-year deal with the New York Giants instead.

Ross rolled the dice that he could land Harbaugh and ended up empty-handed.

McDaniel had even spoken at his Monday press conference about being involved in the general manager search.

He told reporters his understanding was he remained the Dolphins head coach "until told otherwise."

Ross told him otherwise Thursday morning in the middle of someone else's exit meeting.

The brutality wasn't just that McDaniel got fired.

Coaches get fired every year.

Ross interrupted an exit meeting with a player to do it five days after the season ended because another coach became available.

That's a different level of cold-blooded.

McDaniel Never Saw It Coming

Comedian Dan Soder, one of McDaniel's close friends, dropped a bombshell about what happened before the firing.

Ross had already promised McDaniel he'd return as head coach next year.

McDaniel was blindsided by the firing.

He thought he survived Black Monday when it came and went without incident.

The 42-year-old coach went 35-35 in four seasons with Miami including two playoff appearances in his first two years.

But the Dolphins missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after going 8-9 in 2024 and 7-10 in 2025.

Ross had fired general manager Chris Grier during the season on October 31.

He wanted comprehensive change after two losing seasons.

Miami hired Jon-Eric Sullivan from the Green Bay Packers as their new general manager.

Sullivan is now leading the head coaching search.

McDaniel has already interviewed with the Detroit Lions for their offensive coordinator position and the Tennessee Titans for their head coaching opening.

The offensive guru who helped make the Dolphins one of the league's most explosive offenses at their peak will land somewhere.

But he won't forget how Ross treated him on his way out the door.

Neither will Waller.

"Damn, that's cold," the tight end said when he found out what happened.

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Sources:

• Stephen Douglas, "Darren Waller Says Dolphins Owner Interrupted Exit Interview to Fire Mike McDaniel," Sports Illustrated, January 16, 2026.
• Cameron Wolfe and Tom Pelissero, "Dolphins fire head coach Mike McDaniel after four seasons," NFL.com, January 9, 2026.
• Marcel Louis-Jacques, "Dolphins fire coach Mike McDaniel after 7-10 season," ESPN, January 9, 2026.