Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has been mentioned in relation to virtually every open head coaching vacancy in the NFL. The problem is that he isn't free to sign a deal until after Seattle's playoff run, which may not be over until February. As a result, some teams looking for a new head coach have been scared away from the highly sought after Quinn.
But what about a team that already has a head coach?
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports believes it's possible that the Miami Dolphins could replace head coach Joe Philbin with Dan Quinn when he becomes free next month.
"One thing to keep in mind w/ Dan Quinn - his former agent, Mike tannenbaum is running Miami. Some teams worried if they wait for Quinn he...could end up replacing Joe Philbin next month, regardless of what the Dolphins are saying. Jets had that concern, at least to some degree," La Canfora tweeted earlier today.
The New York Jets ended up hiring Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles over Quinn, partly because of the "uncertainty over whether they could land him."
Quinn is a hot candidate largely due to the work he's done with Seattle's defense. The Seahawks have finished the last two regular seasons as the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL. The Dolphins, meanwhile, did not even crack the top ten over that same time frame.
Philbin is 23-25 in three seasons as Miami's head coach. The Dolphins have been competitive each year he has been there, but have been criticized for fading down the stretch and falling out of the playoff race. Miami is just 11-15 during the last two months of the regular season under Philbin.
While the Dolphins are saying all of the right things when it comes to Philbin's job security, it wouldn't be a shock to see the team make a move should Quinn be interested.
