Phinsider Question Of The Day: Would He Be Forgiven/Accepted Back Edition

Maybe time does heal all wounds, and maybe Miami Dolphins fans never forget!

Rumors fuel NFL offseason reporting during slow or dead periods. Our Dolphins are no strangers to these rumors, whether they concern players, trades, coaching, front office moves, or the possibilities surrounding each. With the Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel clearly entering the 2025-2026 season clearly on the so-called “hotseat,” the rumors of who owner Stephen Ross might go after to turn his franchise around have begun.

There are two names that I have now seen in at least a couple of stories. One is “Chucky,” aka Jon Gruden. Gruden, as most of you know, returned to the NFL after a decade away to coach the Las Vegas Raiders in 2018. Gruden made it until the 2021 season when some prior emails that he had previously exchanged with former Washington Commanders GM Bruce Allen were made public. The emails contained racist, misogynistic, and homophobic slurs that eventually forced Las Vegas to fire Gruden for a second time as the head coach of the Raiders.

The second name surprised me because it was former Dolphins head coach Nick Saban. Saban previously coached the Dolphins from 2005 to 2006. As the 2006 season approached its end and the University of Alabama had fired then-head coach Mike Shula, rumors and speculation grew that Saban might be planning to return to college football and leave the Dolphins. During a news conference on December 21st of that year, Saban was asked about the rumor and responded, “I guess I have to say it. I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” Despite this declaration, on January 3rd, Saban informed Dolphins owner Ross that he would indeed accept the Bama job and leave Miami. This lie became a perceived betrayal by much of the fan base once he did officially leave the team.

So tonight’s Phinsider Question Of The Day is:

If Stephen Ross were to go after Nick Saban to bring him once again back to South Florida to coach our Miami Dolphins, would you be okay with that, given all the time that has passed? Do you think the fan base as a whole would accept him back? What is your take on some of the other rumored possibilities to be the next head coach of the Dolphins? Who would you go after to turn this thing around if it were your sole decision?

Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-