We’ve launched a live blog with Dolphins coaching updates on a Tuesday. Please keep checking back for updates. And in the meantime, check out part 1 of our 2-part Dolphins draft series, with part 2 coming later Tuesday:
2 p.m. update: The NFL’s coaching landscape received another big jolt on Tuesday when Mike Tomlin informed his team that he’s leaving the Steelers after 19 seasons. But even though Tomlin would be a highly attractive candidate, ESPN reported that it’s more likely he will take a television job.
Nevertheless, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said Miami “would make a lot of sense for Mike Tomlin.”
Because he’s still under contract in Pittsburgh, the Steelers would need to decide whether to allow him out of his contract or seek compensation from a team interested in hiring him.
Tomlin won a Super Bowl and never had a losing season in 19 years as a coach but hasn’t won a playoff game in a decade, with the previous five losses coming by double digits, including a 30-6 home loss to Houston on Monday.
1:30 p.m.: In Jon Erik Sullivan’s first full week as Dolphins general manager, he plucked a developmental safety from his former team, Green Bay.
Safety Omar Brown, who signed a futures contract with Miami on Tuesday, has appeared in two career games in one season with Green Bay (2024). He entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Denver in 2024. Brown spent the last two years at Nebraska (2022-23), where he appeared in 23 games with eight starts and recorded 56 tackles (36 solo), three tackles for loss, one interception, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Brown transferred to Nebraska after three seasons at Northern Iowa (2019-21), where he started 29 games and produced 140 tackles (89 solo), eight interceptions, 21 passes defensed, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.
12:20 p.m. update: Per a source, the Dolphins will have seven people participating in interviews from their end: owner Stephen Ross, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, team president Tom Garfinkel, senior vice president/football and business administration Brandon Shore, Dolphins executive and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman (a Dolphins’ consultant/advisor in their coach and GM search) and Dan Sillman (Ross’ son-in-law and the CEO of Ross-owned Relevent, a commercial rights organization that buys/sells/activates media licensing rights).
11:15 update: Former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, a two-time NFL coach of the year, will interview with the Dolphins in person on Tuesday, a league source confirmed. This will be Miami’s first in-person interview.
The 43-year-old Stefanski, who was previously identified as a candidate for the Dolphins job, was fired by the Browns last week after going 45-56 in six seasons. He had two 11 win seasons and took the Browns to the postseason twice and won a playoff game in Pittsburgh.
Considered a smart offensive mind, Stefanski was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2023. In the past week, he also has interviewed with the Giants, Titans, Falcons and Raiders.
“He’s a great football coach, and I think he’ll get a chance somewhere and show that he can still coach in this league,” Browns guard Joel Bitonio told Browns reporters last week.
No coach lasted as long as Stefanski’s six seasons in Cleveland since Sam Rutigliano, who coached from 1978-1984. Before the Browns hired him as head coach, he spent 14 years with the Vikings, including one season as offensive coordinator.
Stefanski, a former defensive back at the University of Pennsylvania, called the Browns’ plays on offense for much of his tenure in Cleveland except for two brief periods (the final half of the 2024 season, when Ken Dorsey handled that; and the close of the 2025 season, when Tommy Rees had that responsibility.)
The Browns had 13 different starting quarterbacks in his six seasons there.
“There really isn’t a better person; he’s the best of us,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said in announcing his dismissal after a 5-12 season. “We all owe him a debt of gratitude and appreciation for a level of success that he brought the organization that really hadn’t been achieved since 2002. And that’s something that we’ll always remember.”
Keep in mind that no coach currently employed by any NFL team (whether they’re in the playoffs or not) can interview in person until Jan. 19, and coaches whose teams are in the playoffs can interview only virtually until their seasons end (or the bye week, in the case of the teams in the Super Bowl).
So that would leave Stefanski, John Harbaugh and Mike McCarthy as coaches who can interview in person with Miami. (It’s unclear if Harbaugh will take a Dolphins interview or if Miami will book one with McCarthy).
11 a.m. update: Add an eighth candidate in the Dolphins head coaching search.
Miami has requested an interview with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, a source confirmed. morning.
In fact, all eight teams with head coaching openings wish to speak to Minter.
He intends to interview with all eight this week, SI.com’s Albert Breer said.
Minter has been the Chargers’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons after serving two years in that position with the University of Michigan.
After playing receiver at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Minter began his coaching career as a defensive intern with Notre Dame in 2006, then served two seasons as a graduate assistant with the University of Cincinnati.
From there, he spent time as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Indiana State and served as defensive coordinator for four years at Georgia State before landing his first NFL job with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, where he spent four seasons, including one as defensive backs coach.
He spent the 2021 season as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator, then held that same job with the Wolverines for two seasons before Jim Harbaugh hired him to be his defensive coordinator with the Chargers. When Harbaugh was suspended for Michigan’s 2023 opener against East Carolina, Minter guided the team to a win.
This season, the Chargers were fifth in yards allowed per game (285.2) and ninth in points permitted per game (20).
Minter’s father, Rick Minter, was the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati and is currently a senior defensive analyst for the Chargers.
There are now eight identified candidates for the Dolphins head coaching job: former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (who interviewed with Miami on Saturday), Stefanski, 49ers defensive coordinator and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula (grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula), Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
Hafley will interview with Miami on Wednesday, per SI.com. To this point, the Dolphins have announced a completed interview with one person (Kubiak).
Harbaugh reportedly has had conversations with all eight teams seeking a coach and plans to decide which of those teams he will interview with. It’s unclear if Miami will make the cut. Though the Harbaugh family has a longstanding relationship with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, a source said that two points of consideration that are important to Harbaugh, among others, are a team’s quarterback and salary cap situation. Those aren’t positives for Miami.
Miami stands $23 million over the salary cap and doesn’t know who its quarterback will be in 2026.
The Athletic reported Monday night that Giants executive Chris Mara visited Harbaugh at his home on Sunday that Harbaugh is “very interested” in the job.
Besides the Dolphins and Giants, the other teams seeking a head coach are the Browns, Falcons, Cardinals, Raiders, Ravens and Titans.
Owner Stephen Ross and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan are collaborating on the hire of a new head coach to replace Mike McDaniel.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 11:05 AM.
Barry Jackson
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.
