Whether it be the Curse of the Tequesta or simply incompetence mixed with a dab of bad luck, every season seems to top the last in magnitudes of disappointment and disgust.
But the 2025 season feels different. And not in a good way. This isn’t just another September mixed with hopes and anxiety. This feels like one of, if not the, most pivotal season in franchise history.
Why? Because the stakes have never been higher, and even if the first few games go sideways, change could be around the corner.
Tua Tagovailoa Last 5 Seasons 🔥 pic.twitter.com/skBAJzPJCK
— *WADDLEVILLE* (@WADDLEVILLE1682) August 24, 2025
Tua's Last Stand
The quarterback is the most critical position in sports — and the Dolphins have one of the NFL’s most expensive, least dependable players under center. Something’s got to give.Entering his sixth season, Tagovailoa has missed 20 regular-season games in his NFL career, sidelined by multiple serious concussions and injuries to his thumbs, ribs, and fingers. All this comes after a college career that ended with one of the worst injuries a player can endure: a dislocated and fractured hip.
Nonetheless, Tua received a substantial contract last offseason, worth over $212 million, with $167 million guaranteed. The ink barely dried before he missed more games with another concussion. The entire season hinges on Tua's health. Do you feel great about that? Nobody does.
There is a non-zero chance the Dolphins have Texas' Arch Manning under center next season.
Mike McDaniel: Goofy, Guru, or Goofy Guru?"They are under the most pressure."@ChrisCanty99 feels Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa are in the hot seat going into this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/zPk8gZOaJO
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 1, 2025
Few would argue that Mike McDaniel is on the hot seat. If the Dolphins started the season 0-4, the odds-on favorite to be head coach in Week 5 would be defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, not McDaniel.
Since 2000, the list of ex-Dolphins head coaches includes Dave Wannstedt, Jim Bates, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles, Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell, Adam Gase, and Brian Flores. If 2025 goes poorly, McDaniel will undoubtedly join that list. Mike McDaniel’s situation feels odd.
No coach has ever gone from "guru" to "goofy" quicker than McDaniel has, and it all feels like it's just waiting to end mercifully. Right now, the best the Dolphins can hope for is that he reclaims his goofy guru persona from that first, feel-good season.
🗣️ Chris Grier on Tyreek Hill 🐆
— The List - Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) August 27, 2025
"Tyreek has been unbelievable since his wrist surgery. He's been around every day, worked tirelessly. I think he's closer to a lot of his teammates than ever.
He's 100% invested. Him and Tua are closer than I've ever seen them" #PhinsUp 🐬 pic.twitter.com/w6r12pYev3
The Tyreek Hill Divorce
Tyreek Hill and his wife are going through a very public and drama-filled divorce. If the Dolphins don't get off to a good start this season, the same could happen with his employer.Hill isn’t here for the long haul, and everyone knows it. The Dolphins and Hill have essentially agreed to “stay together for the kids," one more year stuck together. But if the season unravels, expect a fire sale. Maybe even mid-season. Particularly if Tua suffers another health setback.
Hill will eventually be traded for pennies on the dollar compared to what the Dolphins traded to acquire him from Kansas City in Miami. And when he is, it will mark a clear end of this era of Dolphins football.
Stephen Ross is reportedly selling a 13% stake in his sports portfolio at a $8.1 billion valuation.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) October 11, 2024
The Dolphins owner is one of the few NFL owners who own their team's stadium, enabling him to profit from concerts, soccer games, and F1's Miami Grand Prix.
Here's a breakdown: pic.twitter.com/mhJrQSILAe
The Loss of Stephen Ross
If having the futures of your star players, general manager, and head coach on the line isn't enough, let's add that if this Dolphins season is a complete disaster, the entire ownership makeup could change.At 85, Stephen Ross is one of the oldest owners in sports. Last December, he sold a 13 percent stake in the team, bringing in private equity giant Ares Management and billionaire Joe Tsai. Ross remains in control, but the writing is on the wall. Suppose Miami needs a complete reset and enters rebuilding mode. In that case, once again, there’s a real possibility that Ross decides he should take his massive profits off the table and move them into something he is actually good at, like real estate.
Because what does a real estate tycoon do when all the renovations and improvements are done, increasing the value of their property by many magnitudes? They sell it.
Does Ross stick around and chase Jon Gruden and Archie Manning, or does he hit the cashier, cash out billions in profit, and let someone else deal with this mess?
Life as a dolphins fan
— SELL THE TEAM (FRAUDS) (@DevonEnjoyer) September 22, 2024
- Tua can’t stay healthy.
- McDaniel is a fucking moron
- Grier has the iq of a rodent
- Owner won’t make changes
- No playoff wins in two decades
- Stadium cursed
- Retirement home for the NFL#GoFins
pic.twitter.com/uQTyrMoDc1
The Fanbase Breaking Point
Everyone has a limit on how much they can endure. And Miami Dolphins fans have been an emotional blank check for too long.No title since Richard Nixon was president. No Super Bowl appearances since Ronald Reagan was president. No playoff wins since Bill Clinton was president. That is where we are at.
This goes beyond wins and losses. Miami hasn’t celebrated a playoff victory in nearly 25 years — not since the days of VHS. The patience of this fanbase is tapped out.
A head coach, quarterback, and ownership change could be on the line this year. This isn’t just a season. It’s the season.
