Hafley reaches agreement with Dolphins to become their coach

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins and Jeff Hafley have reached an agreement to make the former Boston College head coach and Packers defensive coordinator their coach, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract hadn't been finalized. Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired after going 35-33 in four seasons. The Dolphins also fired longtime general manager Chris Grier during the season. Hafley, who spent two seasons in Green Bay, met with the Dolphins for a second interview earlier Monday before he was offered the job. He will rejoin new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in Miami. The 46-year-old Hafley left his job at Boston College in 2024 to become defensive coordinator in Green Bay, where he worked with Sullivan for the past two seasons. Hafley also coached San Francisco's defensive backs from 2016-18 after spending two years as Cleveland's secondary coach. Sullivan, formerly Green Bay's vice president of player personnel, spent 22 seasons with the Packers before becoming the Dolphins' GM. Under Hafley, Green Bay's defense ranked in the top 10 of the NFL in yards per play (5.0), yards per pass play (6.01), goal-to-go percentage (68.9) and quarterback hits (98). Packers players, who spoke highly of Hafley, had been preparing for the possibility he would become a head coach. He also interviewed for Tennessee's coaching vacancy. "That (expletive) would suck," safety Javon Bullard said this season. "But, you know, that's the beauty of this profession. That's the sad part about this profession but it's also a beautiful thing too. You want everybody to succeed and level up, because that's the same thing with somebody here going to get a new contract somewhere else." The hiring of Hafley continues Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' trend of gambling on candidates without prior NFL head coaching experience. Ross has not hired a proven NFL coach since becoming the Dolphins' majority owner in 2009. He previously took chances on Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21) and McDaniel (2022-25). McDaniel was let go after going 7-10 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. That set up an organizational reset that will likely include finding a new quarterback and moving on from former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of the 2025 season after throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns but showing stark declines in accuracy and mobility. He signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024 but finished 2025 with 15 interceptions, second most in the NFL and a career high. Tagovailoa is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him. The Dolphins also interviewed former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski, who was hired as Atlanta's coach this week; Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak; San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh; Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula; and Jacksonville defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, among others, during their search for a coach. ___ AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed from Tampa. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl