McDaniel Discusses Ross Dinner, Contract Extension

The Miami Dolphins head coach has a new three-year extension.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins were back at work Monday after the Labor Day weekend, and head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the media for the first time since signing a three-year contract extension through the 2028 season.

McDaniel tried his best to downplay the significance of the extension, though he did share what he described as a "neat moment" — a dinner with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

"I see the congratulations goes to the organization," McDaniel said. "I think there's a lot of people that lift you up to give you the opportunity to become a head coach, but once you become a head coach for that program to sustain, that takes each and every person involved in it. So I see that's an accomplishment for the organization.

"And there was a neat moment, as you'd phrase it. It was, I had dinner over at Mr. Ross' house a couple weeks ago, so it was a great dinner. I ate all of my steak."

McDaniel, who joked he ate all his vegetables but there weren't many, was asked whether he had an inkling the dinner was a precursor to an extension.

"I knew he wanted to have dinner and I knew I was going to be a good dinner date, I guess you'd say," McDaniel said. "Outside of that, you don't really forecast too much. It was an opportunity to hang out with Mr. Ross and so I jumped on that."

Since becoming the Dolphins head coach in 2022, McDaniel has emphasized living in the moment, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that he downplayed the idea of the extension being a relief.

"I really haven't even thought about it, to be honest," said McDaniel, who still had two years left on his contract. "I think part of trying to have a program sustain is you have to really look at each and every day and what goes into it and what you're asking of other people and who are those people that are supporting you and really rallying the troops each and every day. I think for me, I haven't really thought twice about it afterward from the regard of...I guess I've had a ton of reasons, millions and millions of reasons to approach every day with everything that I have and really giving myself to everyone as best I can.

"I guess this is another reason to be motivated to really attack each and every day your fullest. So I probably have just some more reasons to do what I've been intending to do since I got on grounds here. And that's a whole, I mean, September 2nd? Man, we got a great September 2nd today. And I'll do September 3rd when that comes."