Mike McDaniel will reportedly call the opposite coast home once again. The former Miami Dolphins head coach will also be doing it in a different role. McDaniel is returning to his roots and is set to take over as the Los Angeles Chargers’ new offensive coordinator per multiple reports.
He spent four seasons in Miami where he helped jumpstart quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s career. McDaniel helped lead the Dolphins to 11 wins in 2023 in a season that ended with a wild card loss to Kansas City.
Tagovailoa passed for a career-high 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2023. It helped confirmed McDaniel’s rise up the coaching ranks. His reputation grew from his time as San Francisco’s run game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan.
McDaniel eventually took over as offensive coordinator for the 49ers where his innovative system launched him into a head coach position with Miami. The Dolphins’ offense had become ineffective in recent seasons.
Miami fell from the No. 1-rated offense in 2023 to 18th in 2024 and 26th this season. McDaniel was fired on Jan. 8 after the Dolphins closed out a 7-10 campaign.
Several teams have been in pursuit of the former Dolphins head coach since he became available. Baltimore, Las Vegas, Cleveland and Tennessee had all been rumored to be in discussions with McDaniel about taking over as head coach.
Philadelphia and Tampa Bay reportedly pursued McDaniel as an offensive coordinator candidate. He informed the Browns earlier in the day Tuesday that he was withdrawing his name from consideration for their open job.
The Chargers recently fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman following a playoff loss to New England. The Patriots’ defense limited Los Angeles to just 3 points in the wild card matchup. Harbaugh’s team has scored just one touchdown in its last two playoff appearances.
McDaniel Will Return West
A return to the West Coast will also come with a renewed opportunity to tap into what made McDaniel a fast-rising coach in the league. He will have the opportunity to return to California and work with a quarterback considered to be in the upper echelon.
Justin Herbert is 0-3 in the playoffs since joining the NFL as the Chargers’ first-round pick in 2020. Still, he has emerged as one of the top passers in the league. He finished the season ninth in passing yards with 3,727. The sixth-year signal caller also tied for seventh in the NFL with 26 passing touchdowns.
The Chargers will look to get the most out of McDaniel and Herbert when they join forces. The new OC once led Miami to a record-tying 70 points in a win over Denver in 2023. It was first time in NFL history that a team scored 70 points and had over 700 total yards.
Los Angeles averaged 333.8 yards during the regular season, which was good enough for 12th in the NFL. Harbaugh convincing McDaniel to turn down a potential head coach opportunity could be a coup for the second-year coach.
The expected new Los Angeles OC had prior stints with Denver, Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.
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