From the start when Mike McDaniel was fired by the Miami Dolphins last week, he said he would rather take a good offensive coordinator job than a bad head coach position. And the two bits of news on him Tuesday show both were true.
Shortly after it was reported McDaniel cancelled a scheduled visit with the Cleveland Browns to interview for their head coaching position, the news came down that he is expected to take the offensive coordinator job with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is expected to become the Chargers offensive coordinator barring a change of heart, per @JeffDarlington and me. McDaniel has informed other teams that they’re out, the Chargers clearly want him, and the two sides are having dinner tonight. But the… pic.twitter.com/N7onkCadlK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2026
McDaniel had held a head coaching interview with the Raiders on Monday when the Raiders were in South Florida to attend the College Football National Championship game. But just as many teams were interested in hiring McDaniel as their new OC as head coach. And in the end, the appeal of joining an established team with a franchise quarterback was too much to pass up.
The former 49ers OC comes back to California, where he takes the job with the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh after they had just fired Greg Roman.
And thus, another head coach candidate is scooped up, further thinning the field for the six remaining team still looking to hire a new head coach.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is coming to the AFC West
