The Los Angeles Chargers found their first victory of 2026 when former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel agreed to sign on as their next offensive coordinator. However, an asterisk attached to that agreement left room for a familiar brand of catastrophe.
If McDaniel found a head coaching opportunity, he was liable to leave Los Angeles behind. After the Championship Round, McDaniel officially accepted his position, turning down other opportunities to do so.
Mike McDaniel Turns Down Potential Buffalo Bills Opportunity
It isn’t immediately clear whether McDaniel would have been named the next Bills head coach. Instead, McDaniel withdrew from Buffalo’s search to call plays for the Chargers.
That’s not an indictment of the Bills’ opening. Quarterback Josh Allen is comfortably among the pantheon of the league’s elite, and there’s still plenty of talent on that roster, even if the front office left much to be desired. McDaniel is intimately familiar with the Dolphins roster and has spent the last four seasons preparing to play the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
McDaniel has opted for the Chargers. And while quarterback Justin Herbert is an incredible draw, it’s possible that soft factors were at play in his decision. Albert Breer recently included a note on McDaniel’s process in an article breaking down the hiring cycle.
“For what it’s worth, word was that Mike McDaniel may have felt a little uneasy about interviewing for the Bills’ job so soon after taking the Chargers’ OC job,” Breer wrote.
With Los Angeles, McDaniel will be calling plays for an elite quarterback, opening the door for his scheme to look far different from what it did in Miami. Herbert, after ranking 11th in PFSN’s NFL QB Impact Metric, is the best quarterback McDaniel has helped coach since Matt Ryan’s MVP campaign in 2016.
Tua Tagovailoa’s skill set demanded a fragile offensive infrastructure, heavily reliant on accurate intermediate passes and consistent timing. Herbert offers more out of structure, boasting arm talent and mobility that McDaniel has lacked in Miami.
Despite those limitations, the Dolphins ranked 19th in PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric last season.
While the Chargers were open to McDaniel surveying his options before putting pen to paper, it’s possible that leaving would have burned bridges and hurt his reputation.
Coaching is a game of relationships, and ditching Los Angeles could have long-term consequences. Rather than take that risk, McDaniel will help revolutionize a Chargers offense that has the necessary pieces to compete for a championship.
If things go well, McDaniel would feasibly enter the 2027 coaching cycle as the top candidate, opening doors to other lucrative opportunities and a cleaner break from the Chargers. For now, he’ll focus on elevating the ceiling of Los Angeles’ offense.
