Mike McDaniel left the Miami Dolphins on a sour note, but his stock in the league is still high. And he officially has a new place. McDaniel will join the staff led by Jim Harbaugh, taking on the offensive coordinator role for the Los Angeles Chargers and working directly with Justin Herbert.
Are Buccaneers Fans Right To Be Frustrated After Missing On Mike McDaniel?
After news of McDaniel’s new role was made public, reports emerged that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles pushed hard for his hiring. Both the Buccaneers and the Eagles fired their offensive coordinators after the season.
When McDaniel was announced as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, there was widespread frustration among the Buccaneers’ fanbase. With Todd Bowles still the head coach, they wanted to pair him with McDaniel. The result was not positive, and their frustrations about Bowles getting another year resurfaced.
This fan noted how McDaniel was interested in staying in Florida, but is now back in California, saying, “He had interest in Tampa clearly and the team let him slip. Now what?”
Yeah, I lost all of the excitement that I had left for this Bucs team.
He had interest in Tampa clearly and the team let him slip.
Now what?
— Cody Haynes (@codyh33) January 21, 2026
Analyst JC Cornell was also critical of the Buccaneers for keeping Bowles, saying that the players deserve better and sticking with the coach is “wasting their primes”:
The stubbornness of sticking with Todd Bowles is literally wasting the primes of Buccaneers players. They deserve better.
— JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) January 21, 2026
Cornell also made clear his feelings for Bowles in a separate tweet.
Should have fired Bowles.
— JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) January 21, 2026
Another fan pointed out how retaining Bowles seems to become more and more egregious for Tampa Bay, especially when the Buffalo Bills fired Sean McDermott on Monday:
every additional firing makes it that much more egregious the bucs continue to stay with todd bowles
— Justin Herzig (@JustinHerzig) January 19, 2026
While our very own Alex Kennedy agrees that Bowles getting another shot as the head coach doesn’t make sense, calling the organization “a joke”:
This organization is a joke. It makes zero sense that Bowles is still the head coach.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) January 21, 2026
Not all reactions to McDaniel’s moving to Los Angeles involved frustration, though. This fan noted how the Buccaneers made a push for the offensive coordinator, but ultimately, he just chose a different direction to go:
Mike McDaniel had his choice of team for an OC job. He didn’t choose Tampa.
It’s fair to be upset TB retained Todd Bowles, but not sure I’d say the Bucs fumbled McDaniel. They wanted him. He didn’t choose them. Takes two to tango
— James Hill (MrBucsNation) (@MrBucsNation) January 21, 2026
The Buccaneers fired Josh Grizzard after the end of the season. Tampa Bay finished with an 8-9 record after a 6-2 start and missed the playoffs. With McDaniel out of the picture, the next few days should provide more clarity on who’s going to be the new offensive coordinator.
