“I Was At The Scene Of The Crime”: Miami Dolphins Superstar Reveals Wild Story About The Unusual Way Mike McDaniel Was Fired [VIDEO]

To end his comeback NFL season, Darren Waller witnessed the end of Mike McDaniel in real time. The day after the NFL regular season ends, a.k.a. Black Monday, is often when coaches get fired.

Miami deviated from that script a bit with its dismissal of its head coach. Just a few hours after the team’s 2024 season finale, things seemed grim within the organization. It appeared as if McDaniel would be saved. But suddenly, things changed.

The Dolphins reversed course and fired McDaniel on a Thursday, four days after their season ended. On a podcast with former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, Darren Waller broke his silence on what he witnessed inside the building on that day.

Darren Waller Was The Last Person To Speak to Mike McDaniel Before He Got Fired

Waller had an up-close view of when Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fired coach Mike McDaniel.

“I was at the scene of the crime, bro. I think I was the last person that saw him before he got fired,” Waller told Johnny Manziel.

#Dolphins TE Darren Waller says he was having his exit meeting with HC Mike McDaniel when owner Stephen Ross walked into the room…

Waller left, and 20 minutes later he checked his phone — and McDaniel had been fired. 😳

(🎥 @glorydazepod)pic.twitter.com/Lvk1VsFlEx

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 15, 2026

“Stephen Ross kicked the door in at like 9:42 … And then the conversation kind of hits a lull, and I’m sitting across the desk from Mike and Stephen Ross is standing there kinda looking at me like…”

Manziel followed: “It’s time for you to get the hell out.”

Waller further added that McDaniel and Ross said they hoped to have him back for next season. However, the awkward encounter reached its peak, forcing him to leave.

“So I go out of the meeting, and I go downstairs to get a massage,” Waller said. “I come up from the massage, look at my phone, and he’s fired, and I’m like, ‘Damn this s–t cold, for real.'”

Mike McDaniel wasn’t too shook up about it. He was later pictured on the horse carousel at Magic Kingdom.

The 42-year-old McDaniel is unlikely to be without a job for too long. McDaniel has been interviewing for multiple NFL jobs. That includes roles with the Ravens, Browns, Falcons, and Titans, and Offensive Coordinator positions with the Lions and Buccaneers.

It’s just a matter of time before the announcement is made.