Jim Harbaugh said at his end-of-the-year press conference that he wanted his next offensive coordinator to be the head coach of the offense. Harbaugh could soon get a former head coach as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator.
The Chargers are closing in on hiring former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as the team’s offensive coordinator, a person close to the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
ESPN and NFL Network were the first to report the news.
McDaniel is one of the hottest names during this year’s hiring cycle. He’s received interest from multiple teams that have head coach and offensive coordinator vacancies.
The Dolphins fired McDaniel in January after a 7-10 campaign. It was Miami’s second-consecutive losing season. McDaniel compiled a 35-33 record in four seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach. He made the playoffs in his first two seasons in Miami.
McDaniel is regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. Under McDaniel, the Dolphins led the NFL in total offense in 2023 and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished with an NFL-high 4,624 passing yards. Tagovailoa had the best years of his career under McDaniel’s tutelage, but the quarterback has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play. The Dolphins’ offense declined in the past two seasons.
Harbaugh’s decision to hire McDaniel as offensive coordinator is a change from his typical smash-mouth football philosophy. McDaniel comes from the West Coast offense and the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, but the Chargers head coach said he wants to jump-start what had been an outdated offensive system under recently fired OC Greg Roman.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
