LOS ANGELES — The Chargers hired former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as the team’s new offensive coordinator, the team announced Monday.
The announcement comes almost a week after ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported that McDaniel was expected to be the team’s offensive coordinator. McDaniel had interviewed for multiple head coaching openings — he had withdrawn from consideration with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills and also interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders job — before the deal was official with the Chargers.
The Chargers announced the hire with a video posted on the team’s social media accounts, “Sup, Mike McDaniel, offensive coordinator for the Chargers.”
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 26, 2026
The Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles also pursued McDaniel as their top offensive coordinator target, with Tampa Bay especially diligent in its courtship, sources told Darlington. However, the lure of getting back to California, where he spent years with the San Francisco 49ers, and the chance to coach talented quarterback Justin Herbert helped inform McDaniel’s final decision.
Harbaugh has been looking for a new offensive coordinator since firing Greg Roman two days after the team’s 16-3 playoff loss to the New England Patriots in the wild-card round. Roman had been Harbaugh’s only offensive coordinator in the NFL, but Roman’s offense was inconsistent and lacked creativity. In two playoff appearances, the Chargers’ offense had scored just one touchdown.
After the firing, Harbaugh told reporters that he was looking for a “head coach of the offense” and McDaniel was perhaps the best option.
Known for his innovative motions and condensed formations that put opposing defenses in a bind, McDaniel’s approach changed offenses leaguewide. Former Bills coach Sean McDermott called McDaniel’s offense in Miami “revolutionary.” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he stole some of McDaniel’s pre-snap motions in 2023.
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is joining forces with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh for the 2026 season as Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
In Miami, where he was hired in 2022, McDaniel helped turn around the career of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth draft pick in 2020, who had struggled to perform up to his selection in the two seasons before McDaniel arrived.
In his first year at the helm, McDaniel’s offense finished sixth in total yards, the first time Miami ranked in the top 10 in the category since 1995. The Dolphins led the NFL in total offense in 2023 as Tagovailoa finished with a league-leading 4,624 passing yards and received the only Pro Bowl selection of his career.
The best performance of McDaniel’s tenure in Miami came when the Dolphins beat the Denver Broncos 70-20 in 2023 to become the first NFL team to score 70 points with 700-plus yards of offense in a game. Miami tied the NFL record for points scored.
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Still, McDaniel went 0-2 in playoff appearances, and his offense declined over the past two campaigns.
McDaniel benched Tagovailoa after a loss in Week 15 this season, and the Dolphins’ offense didn’t look much improved under rookie Quinn Ewers for the final three contests.
McDaniel will be tasked with getting Herbert his first playoff win. The signal-caller is 0-3 in the postseason, playing some of the worst games of his career in the playoffs.
The Chargers still have to fill their defensive coordinator position after Jesse Minter was hired as the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach last week.
