First NFL Coach FIRED: Dolphins Versus Colts

By Dan Salem

Posted on August 6, 2025

Just because YOUR seat is burning HOT, doesn’t mean you’ll be fired first. Its Dolphins versus Colts for first NFL coach fired in 2025.

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As we prepped for the start of the season, going through each division individually to highlight expected outcomes, one category we focused on was coaches on the hot seat. A LOT of coaches on the HOT SEAT. Taking that to the next level, of all the coaches on the hottest of seats, who do you see being the first coach fired in 2025?

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First, let’s recap our original findings. Here were all the coaches we thought would be on hot seats. Though we didn’t give them numerical values, the hotness level was distinguished by a descriptor. We will attempt to interpret these levels and list our collective hot seat list in order from coolest to warmest.

COOLEST SEAT
Kevin O’Connell – Minnesota Vikings
Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers
Brian Callahan – Tennessee Titans
Brian Schottenheimer – Dallas Cowboys
Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins
Shane Steichen – Indianapolis Colts
Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns
Brian Daboll – New York Giants
HOTTEST SEAT

That is everyone we thought was even remotely on the hot seat, and there were only four guys in the entire league we both listed! That’s way smaller a group than one would have thought. Pretty much the only consensus piece we came away with was Daboll’s seating is scorching. So, is this an open-and-shut case Johnson? Is Daboll the first coach fired? Definitely NOT.

First NFL Coach FIRED In 2025

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Todd Salem: Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)

Though Daboll’s seat feels the hottest to start, it is also hard to imagine the Giants brass dumping him during the year when they just allowed him to draft a rookie quarterback in the first round. Why let him make the pick if you aren’t going to allow him to coach the guy? Then again, Daboll would argue he’d need more than half a season (if that) of a day-one rookie QB getting snaps to see what he really has. He would want at least another three seasons.

That isn’t happening unless the team starts winning. Unfortunately for Daboll and the Giants, they have what is expected to be the very hardest schedule in the league this season. That ain’t good.

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In a weird way, though, I think an easy schedule may work against the guys on this list. I look at Steichen or McDaniel. Both the Colts and Dolphins have relatively easy schedules, particularly to start the year. The two teams actually play each other in Week 1. After that, three of Indy’s next five are against potential last-place teams in Tennessee, Las Vegas, and Arizona. Miami gets Carolina, Cleveland, and both of its home games against the Jets and Patriots all in the first seven weeks.

If either team comes out of the gates really slowly, things could turn quickly. Indianapolis will struggle to find consistent quarterback play, and losses against weaker competition falls on the shoulders of the head coach. The same goes for McDaniel if the Miami offense continues its downward trend in recent seasons. The rhetoric is that McDaniel’s schemes don’t work against the best defenses. What if, with an older and disgruntled Tyreek Hill and recovering Tua Tagovailoa, they start to struggle against weaker ones too?

That’s the final direction I’m leaning: Mike McDaniel for first coach fired.

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Dan Salem: Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)

I can’t believe we only agreed on four coaches, when the hot seat burns for so many all year. While it’s certainly most likely that one of these men is the first to be fired, there’s always a wild card who creeps into the conversation mid September, often getting sacked by Thanksgiving. That said, we truly considered every coach and THESE MEN are the ones with even a remotely burning flame under their seat. Who gets fired first has EVERYTHING to do with the QB situation and each coach’s choice.

Did Kevin O’Connell choose JJ McCarthy over Sam Darnold to lead the Vikings? If so, then a crash and burn to begin the year will cost him his job. Will Aaron Rodgers push another coach under the bus if Pittsburgh’s season starts off poorly? If so, then Tomlin is not long for the sidelines. Tennessee is in turmoil, the Cowboys have run out of patience, and then we reach the TRULY interesting QB situations. Indianapolis has two of the same players at opposite ends of their careers. Cleveland has five players, none of whom should be starting right now. Miami had an excellent QB, but concussions have left their QB in hot water. And last but not least are the Giants, with a trio of passers all their own. Oh my!

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Expectations will be the death of these coaches, but the first one fired has the most to prove and will lose the most. That ‘honor’ belongs to Shane Steichen in Indianapolis. He’s failed to get the most out of Anthony Richardson, or even worse, he’s gotten the most out of him and it’s simply not good enough. We know his alternative QB, Daniel Jones, can play very well, but usually doesn’t maintain that level for long, or gets hurt like Richardson. The real issue is the supporting cast, which is simply not strong enough for either Jones or Richardson to be decent. They both like to run, which is bad news in today’s NFL. They both are inconsistent passers, which is also bad news. Steichen has the most impossible task and probably two months to prove he’s got the team on the right track. But the Colts aren’t good enough to prove anything.

I know you liked Indy’s chances, but that has a lot to do with their poor division competition. What has this team proven over the last two seasons with Richardson? Nothing good. So many young QBs show flashes, but it’s almost always the ones that develop their pocket passing skills who find success… on other teams. I just don’t see it, and since our other coaches on the hot seat all have a bit more runway to work with, it will be Steichen who falls first.

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Meet our Sports Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

First NFL Coach Fired – This Is The End

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