Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross publicly endorsed head coach Joe Philbin at season's end, putting to bed the rumors that the team was ready to move on from the third-year coach. Now it appears as if Ross is willing to go one step further.
Philbin's contract is up after the 2015 season, and it looks like the Dolphins are working with him to hammer out an extension, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
"The purpose of the extension is two-fold: it addresses the idea that Philbin would enter next season as a lame duck," Salguero wrote. "It also insulates the Dolphins should Philbin's Dolphins have a good year and the coach wish to parlay that into other opportunities."
The Dolphins have remained in the playoff hunt in each of the last three seasons before hitting a wall late in the year. Miami is just 11-15 in the months of November and December under Philbin. However, an extension is not necessarily a vote of long-term confidence.
"Giving Philbin an extension won't really guarantee the coach a job beyond 2015," Salguero wrote. "Although Ross will make a financial commitment to Philbin, he can still fire the coach if he wishes with the understanding he'll still pay off the contract."
Philbin is 23-25 as Miami's head coach. If the Dolphins do not post a winning record and/or make the playoffs next season, it wouldn't be out of the question for Ross to start looking elsewhere. Ross recently hired former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannebaum as the team's new executive vice president of football operations. If the Dolphins stumble to a disappointing finish yet again next year, the front office will likely replace him with a coach of their choosing.
"Tannenbaum's arrival has had no impact on coach Joe Philbin's job status," fellow Miami Herald reporter Adam Beasley wrote. What he could have added is "for now."
