Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has been a hot commodity since being fired, receiving multiple interview requests for both offensive coordinator and HC openings. Despite still being in the running for an HC job, it appears that he has made his decision on where he will coach in 2026.
Late Tuesday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that, barring a change of heart, the former Dolphins coach would be joining the Los Angeles Chargers as their OC.
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
The move will undoubtedly have ripple effects across the NFL, as the Chargers have now gone from one of the least creative playcallers in the league in Greg Roman to one of its most innovative in McDaniel. Most notably, however, it means that McDaniel will now get the chance to coach the quarterback that the Dolphins could (and should) have drafted in the 2020 draft.
Miami Dolphins fans will have to watch Mike McDaniel coach QB Justin Herbert, who they could have had instead of Tua Tagovailoa
Not that long ago, there were (somewhat) credible football analysts who believed that there was a real debate about who was better between Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa. Herbert was clearly much more physically gifted as both an athlete and a thrower, but McDaniel had brought a scheme to Miami that highlighted all of Tagovailoa's best traits, helping him outproduce the Chargers QB as recently as 2023.
Ever since then, however, even the biggest Dolphins fans have to admit that Herbert is several tiers above Tua. It has really always been that way, at least since they first stepped on an NFL field. As prospects, there were plenty of good arguments for both to be the second QB off the board after the Bengals' Joe Burrow. Still, betting on the physical traits is often the right gamble.
With Tagovailoa having been benched during McDaniel's final three games as Miami's HC, the debate is firmly over. Now, Dolphins fans will have to watch from afar as their former coach gets to make magic happen with a far more talented offense.
Fans will argue that the Chargers have been no better at finding success in the playoffs, even with a much better QB, and they would be right. But injuries and poor coaching have been what have plagued LA more than anything else, and now they have the guy who led Miami's offense to incredible highs with far less to work with.
Don't be surprised if he sticks around for just one season before landing another HC gig, but it could be a season full of painful reminders of what could have been in Miami