Dolphins' Grier out as GM; McDaniel to remain coach 'at least' for rest of season

David Furones, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Oct 31, 2025

Published in Football

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For the Miami Dolphins, amid a dismal 2-7 start, general manager Chris Grier is the one to go — not coach Mike McDaniel.

Grier and the Dolphins mutually agreed to part ways Friday morning, the Dolphins announced.

McDaniel will remain coach of the Dolphins for “at least” the remainder of the season, the Sun Sentinel confirmed.

“This morning, I made the decision along with general manager Chris Grier to mutually part ways,” Dolphins owner Steve Ross said in a statement released Friday morning. “I have incredible respect for Chris and his family, and I want to thank him for his many contributions to the Miami Dolphins over the past 26 years.”

McDaniel, earlier Friday, said his conversations with Ross have remained the same since Thursday night’s 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Senior personnel executive Champ Kelly, who was brought into the team’s front office this year, will take over as interim general manager.

Grier is the first GM fired this NFL season. One head coach has been fired, Brian Callahan, formerly of the Tennessee Titans.

Grier first joined the Dolphins in 2000, which incidentally is the last season the Dolphins won a playoff game. He started out as a scout, was director of college scouting from 2007 through 2015 and took over as GM beginning in 2016. With Mike Tannenbaum still with the team through 2018, Grier became the franchise’s top football decision-maker beginning with the 2019 rebuild.

That rebuild led the Dolphins to take an all-in approach when McDaniel arrived in 2022, bringing in high-priced veteran Pro Bowl talents like wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead, edge rusher Bradley Chubb and cornerback Jalen Ramsey over the course of 12 months. The team made playoff appearances with Grier working in tandem with McDaniel in 2022 and 2023, but a disappointing 8-9 2024 season has been compounded by a 2-7 start in 2025.

“As I assessed the state of the team and in my discussions with Chris, it became clear to both of us that change could not wait,” Ross continued in his statement. “We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now. Champ Kelly will serve as interim general manager effective immediately, and we will begin our search process for a new general manager. I want to thank Champ for stepping up and his commitment to the Dolphins success this season. There is a lot of football left to play and we all need to fight even harder.”

The final straw was Thursday night’s 28-6 drubbing at the hands of the Ravens at home. It was the second loss by at least three touchdowns in 12 days for Miami, with a surprising 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday in between.

“I have always been and remain committed to building a winning team that consistently competes for championships,” added Ross in his statement. “I am incredibly proud of our leadership as an NFL organization and our continued commitment to the community, but our performance on the field and our team-building process have not been good enough. There are no excuses.”

Fans at the Thursday night loss at Hard Rock Stadium booed heavily, with some even wearing bags over their heads and many leaving early.

“I want to thank the fans for their continued support and passion for this team,” Ross said. “You deserve a championship-caliber team you can be proud of. There’s much work ahead to return the Dolphins to sustained success, and that work begins now, finishing the season strong, evaluating all areas of our football operation, and moving forward with a clear vision for the future.”

The NFL trade deadline looms on Tuesday, and Kelly will now be in line to make potential moves as the Dolphins begin a search to hire a full-time replacement for Grier.

Kelly was assistant general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders from 2022 through 2024 before joining the Dolphins this year. He also was interim GM for the Raiders during the 2023 season.

Before joining Las Vegas, he was with the Chicago Bears from 2015 through 2021, first as director of pro scouting and then as assistant director of player personnel. He got his start with the Denver Broncos, rising the ranks from scout (2007) to assistant coordinator of pro and college scouting (2010-14) and director of pro scouting in 2015 and 2016.