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Coaching in the NFL isn’t easy, and Troy Aikman knows it.
In a recent radio appearance in Dallas, playing up his Hall of Fame career, Aikman questioned why it remains a hot commodity.
“Sean McVay, he flirted with it a couple of years ago after they won their Super Bowl, and he had been thinking a lot about going into television. We see that from coaches, we’ve seen it from officials who have left the field to go into television. It’s a tough, tough job right now. I’ve often said, I’m still not sure why anybody would want to be a coach,” he says.
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Troy Aikman prior to a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 7, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
Ironically, Aikman is reportedly helping the Miami Dolphins find their next head coach, just as he did with their general manager. But to prove Aikman’s point, the speculation is that Mike Tomlin, who stepped down after 19 seasons as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, is looking to go into television.
Regarding the GM search, the Dolphins’ ownership reportedly wanted an “outside, respected perspective from someone who had strong relationships across the league.”
Miami fired Chris Grier as its general manager in October. He had been with the organization since 2000 and served as the team’s general manager since 2016. Last month, head coach Mike McDaniel opted to bench Tua Tagovailoa for Quinn Ewers, saying the seventh-round rookie gave them a better chance to win.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel speak to reporters. (HAL HABIB / The Palm Beach Post / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Last week, owner Stephen Ross severed ties with McDaniel, citing a need for “extensive change” after the team missed the playoffs for the second year in a row with a 7-10 finish this season.
The Dolphins made back-to-back playoff appearances in McDaniel’s first two seasons as head coach, but were eliminated in the first round both times. The following season, they were eliminated after suffering an unexpected loss to the New York Jets in the team’s season finale.
McDaniel’s final season in Miami was tumultuous, highlighted by Tagovailoa’s games and his possible benching in the last three games of the season.
Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa (1) walks off the field after a failed two-point conversion attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 15, 2025. (Photo: Justin Berl/AP)
As one of his last big moves as head coach, McDaniel said the Dolphins would hold one quarterback competition for the 2026 season. Tagovailoa then said it would be “great” to have a “fresh start.”
