Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson knows a thing or two about coaching in Miami, having led the Miami Dolphins himself in the late 1990s. Now, in 2026, with Jeff Hafley just settling into the job, Johnson found himself defending a former Dolphins coach on social media. And while a reporter aimed at Dave Wannstedt’s tenure, Johnson clapped back with a question the franchise still can’t answer.

“Dave was the last coach to win a playoff game with the Dolphins and had a winning record with the Dolphins…what have all the coaches done in the last 25 years?” Johnson posted on X.

For context, Fox News’ Armando Salguero couldn’t resist a jab after a video of Dave Wannstedt at Dolphins camp surfaced, joking that “2004 still hasn’t forgotten the nightmare” of Wannstedt’s brutal season. Fans pushed back, and Salguero doubled down, arguing Wannstedt wasn’t Miami’s best coach since Don Shula. That didn’t sit well with Jimmy Johnson, a former Dolphins coach himself, who jumped in to defend Wannstedt.

Wannstedt joined the Dolphins in 1999 under then-head coach Jimmy Johnson, brought in as assistant HC right around the time Johnson was weighing retirement after losing his mother. Owner Wayne Huizenga convinced Johnson to stay a while longer, but everyone around the building figured Wannstedt was the guy being groomed to take over. Sure enough, Johnson stepped away after the 1999 season and handed him the keys.

What Johnson left behind wasn’t a bad situation either. The defense was loaded with young talent hitting their stride, guys like Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Sam Madison, and Patrick Surtain. The offense just needed some work to catch up.

Wannstedt ran the show for four seasons and part of a fith, finishing 42-31, and he’s still the last Dolphins coach to actually win a playoff game. That came in 2000, when Miami won the AFC East behind Jay Fiedler before beating the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the peak.

Things unraveled fast after that. By 2004, Miami was sitting at 1-8, the worst record in the league, and Wannstedt walked away midseason. Patrick Surtain summed up the mood afterward.

 “I feel sorry for the guy because he’s a first-class guy,” Surtain said.

Jim Bates took over on an interim basis.

Fast forward to today, and Miami’s churned through eight full-time coaches since then, Hafley included, with just four playoff trips in 21 years. Mike McDaniel is the only one who has managed more than one.

Now Hafley’s stepping in fresh off a strong run in Green Bay, but he’s inheriting a roster reshaped by trading Jaylen Waddle and moving on from Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.

So all eyes are on whether Hafley can actually change that story.