The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel just over a week ago. They have been search for his replacement ever since, with new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan leading the process to reset the franchise. The move to fire McDaniel came several days after most changes to the position from around the league had already happened and McDaniel appeared safe in his role for 2026.
However, owner Stephen Ross decided to relieve McDaniel of his duties on Thursday, January 8, and informed him that morning. Yesterday, Dolphins tight end Darren Waller was on the Glory Daze Podcast, hosted by former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, and he provided insight into the final few moments of McDaniel’s tenure with the Dolphins – and the awkwardness of Ross coming to inform McDaniel during Waller’s exit interview.
Waller’s exit interview is interrupted
“I was at the scene of the crime, bro. I think I was the last person to see him before he got fired,” Waller said in a clip posted to X.
“My exit meeting was that Thursday morning, and [McDaniel’s] like, ‘Definitely want you back next year.’ And we’re just like reflecting on the year,” Waller continued. “Then Stephen Ross kicked the door in and he comes in and joins the conversation. We are all just talking and reflecting on the year.
“Then the conversation hits a low. I’m sitting across the desk from Mike and Stephen Ross is standing there, just kinda looking at me,” Waller explained, adding a head nod toward the door.
Manziel interjected, “It’s time for you to get the hell out.”
Waller continued, “I looked at Mike and he’s like, ‘We’ll finish this conversation later.‘ I didn’t know, they had the GM search was in full flow, I didn’t know, but they had big business to talk about.”
The tight end explained he left the office, went down to get a massage and looked at his phone while on the table to see McDaniel had been fired. I was like, “Damn. This **** is cold.”
Waller on Tua Tagovailoa’s game-day regression
Waller and Manziel also discussed the struggles quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had in 2025, and how different a player Tagovailoa was in practice versus in games this season.
“When I showed up there in training camp, I’m watching this man throw darts every practice, bruh,” Waller said. “I’d never seen the anticipation and the accuracy.”
He then tried to explain the differences between what the players and coaches were seeing in practice and what was happening on the field during games. “What I think some of the disconnect comes from, I think there might be some trauma still stored in his body from what he’s gone through, like with the hits. There’s a book called The Body Keeps the Score which is like the number one book about trauma. They talk about how trauma was first with war veterans.“
Waller continued, “I can notice him trying to make things happen in the game, like he is trying to pull the trigger, but it’s almost like his body and his system…”
“…won’t allow him to do it,” Manziel added, agreeing with Waller.
“I feel like, if there is a way for him to find some healing in that regard, I think the skillset is definitely still there,” Waller stated.
Full podcast
The McDaniel and Tagovailoa segments of the podcast appear early in the nearly hour-long show. The two also discuss addiction, mental health, and other challenges they both faced during their careers.
You can check out the full podcast on Spotify, or watch it on YouTube:
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