As the NFL coaching carousel continues to turn, reports on Tuesday night indicated that former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was nearing a deal to become offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.
McDaniel was let go by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross after the 2025 NFL season ended for Miami. Now, it appears that McDaniel will work with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. The NFL world offered several reactions to the news.
NFL World Reacts to Chargers Hiring Mike McDaniel
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that McDaniel was nearing a deal with the Chargers on Tuesday night.
“Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is expected to become the Chargers offensive coordinator barring a change of heart, per @JeffDarlington and me,” Schefter posted on X. “McDaniel has informed other teams that they’re out, the Chargers clearly want him, and the two sides are having dinner tonight. But the expectation across the league is that McDaniel will be staying in LA.”
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
Upon hearing this news about McDaniel, ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky posted on X, “Best OC job available … Absolutely love this for all involved”.
Billy Reinhardt, who is a credentialed NFL media member, was all in favor of the Chargers upgrading from Greg Roman to McDaniel. Reinhardt posted on X, “Greg Roman to Mike McDaniel is an enormous upgrade.”
David Lombardi, who writes about the San Francisco 49ers for The San Francisco Standard, also posted on X: “Mike McDaniel with Jim Harbaugh, legendary pairing.”
Brendan Sugrue, who is the assistant editor for Bears Wire, was also all on board with the addition of McDaniel to Harbaugh’s coaching staff. Sugrue wrote on X, “Idk what I’m more excited for, the potential Justin Herbert is going to have or the dynamic between McDaniel and Harbaugh. Either way, I love it.”
Benjamin Solak, an NFL analyst for ESPN, believes there will be a “feeling out” period between McDaniel and Harbaugh.
Solak posted on X, “There’s probably gonna be a decent ‘feeling out’ period for Herbert/McDaniel since Herbert is so stylistically different from Tua/other Shanahan QBs, and McDaniel’s passing game is so different than Lombardi/Roman. But the ceiling here is very, very high.”
Ari Meirov, a veteran NFL journalist who covers the league for The 33rd Team, offered some perspective on how the Chargers’ offense shapes up going into next season.
Meirov posted on X, “The #Chargers offense for Mike McDaniel includes QB Justin Herbert, RB Omarion Hampton, WR Ladd McConkey, and TE Oronde Gadsden — and probably most importantly, two stud OTs in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt – who should be back healthy.”
According to the PFSN NFL Offense Impact metrics, measured throughout the regular season, the Chargers had an impact score of 67.4 and graded out to a D+. So, the Chargers have some work to do around improving those numbers next season.
As for the PFSN NFL QB Impact metrics, again measured through the regular season, Herbert posted an impact score of 79.6 and graded out to a C+. The Chargers’ run game could use some work, too.
According to the PFSN NFL RB Impact metrics, Chargers’ running back Omarion Hampton had an impact score of 56.2 and graded out an F. Hampton played only nine games in the 2025 NFL season, too. Meanwhile, Kimani Vidal, who played in 13 games, had an impact score of 51.0 and graded out to an F.
So, McDaniel has plenty of work ahead of him. Harbaugh will, of course, have input on what changes the Chargers make on offense. Still, McDaniel will be leaning on his experience to take Herbert and the Chargers’ offense into a much better place next season.
