Mike McDaniel will blaze a warpath of revenge with Chargers after Dolphins' exit

Fired Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is getting a new job opportunity. One where he coaches a first-round quarterback from the 2020 NFL Draft who's had notable failures and could use a shot in the arm in the form of a revamped offensive scheme.

Sound familiar? That's what McDaniel succeeded at in Miami with Tua Tagovailoa to such an immense degree that he ultimately cost himself his job. Now, he gets to take the reins as the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive coordinator for Justin Herbert.

To say that McDaniel will be determined to prove he is HIM, and that Herbert is indeed HIM, is the most colossal football-related understatement you could possibly drum up.

McDaniel is joining forces with Jim Harbaugh. He's about to attack every day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. And he's about to make the Dolphins rue the day they fire him.

Former Miami Dolphins' HC Mike McDaniel couldn't have set himself up better than with the Chargers, Justin Herbert & Jim Harbaugh

Bear with me on this analogy for a second. Glen Powell was in tatters when he didn't get the role of Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick. Tom Cruise called him, trying to persuade him to do the movie. Powell didn't want to, since he didn't get that initial role.

When Cruise asked Powell what kind of career he wanted, Powell answered that he wanted Cruise's. So Hollywood's biggest action star asked his mentee how he thought he achieved that. Powell responded that it's because Cruise chooses great roles.

Now we land the plane to set up a larger narrative. Cruise's answer to that was, "No, I choose great movies, and I make the roles great."

See what I'm saying here? It's not that Mike McDaniel is incapable of being an NFL head coach. He just chose the wrong role.

To continue the film industry analogy, McDaniel was a visionary/auteur director who marched into the equivalent of a dysfunctional major movie studio, that is, the Miami Dolphins organization. They had a lot of money and resources, but no idea what to do with them. People in key leadership posts had tenure for too long. Too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.

The studio (read: Dolphins) could shell out and make aggressive moves for all kinds of A-list talent (Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Bradley Chubb, et al.). The first half of the movie was great. Then, the studio interfered. Everything got watered down. McDaniel tried his best to save the film after such a promising start, but studio notes, diva behavior from the talent, and overwhelming forces beyond anyone's control led to everything more or less falling apart.

Only seemed appropriate to go super Hollywood with all this now that McDaniel is bolting to the Bolts in the greater Los Angeles area.

Now to the main point related to football. Jim Harbaugh is one of the greatest pound-for-pound coaches of this or any generation. A national champ in college. Multiple Conference Championship games and a Super Bowl berth in the pros. Two playoff appearances in as many seasons for the Chargers.

But something obviously had to change. Harbaugh's antiquated way of looking at modern offense was not sustainable. Not with an elite talent like Herbert as his QB.

To his credit, Harbaugh recognized that. This insight from NFL insider Albert Breer is particularly noteworthy:

Rather than turning to someone familiar from his coaching past, he sought out the Top Gun of offensive minds on the coaching market. A maverick of exotic play designs that defy conventional football wisdom, if you will.

That'd be Mike McDaniel. He's in a role in LA where he can focus on building the offense around a top-five-caliber quarterback. And he's going to absolutely crush that role.

The notion of hiring McDaniel might've started percolating when the Dolphins and Chargers met in Week 6, and LA prevailed 29-27. Check out what Miami tight end Darren Waller said about that matchup re: McDaniel's brainiac tendencies:

McDaniel's cutting-edge run schemes are great news for 2025 first-round tailback Omarion Hampton. They're a welcome addition for Harbaugh, too, because no head coach in the NFL wants to pound the rock more than him. Herbert should also get more protection from this approach after being the most-sacked and most-hit QB in the league this past season.

There are people all over Fins Land who will swear to you that McDaniel cannot lead men. Or get players to buy in. Or run a high-caliber football operation as a head coach. Despite all evidence to the contrary.

Y'all really think Jeff Hafley is an upgrade at head coach? Best of luck!

People forget that only two seasons ago, McDaniel had Tua Tagovailoa leading the NFL in passing yards. Just imagine what type of efficient, explosive passing attack he could produce with Justin Herbert as the catalyst.

As long as the Bolts' offensive line comes back healthy and upgraded in 2026, they should be able to execute whatever McDaniel wants. And while he could've held out for a head coach post, McDaniel recognized that the Chargers were too good an opportunity to pass up.

Maybe McDaniel isn't a hotshot director or leading man for now. However, with Harbaugh's backing and Herbert executing his offense on the gridiron, McDaniel is about to lay waste to the competition, 360 windmill dunk on the Dolphins, and position himself as the hottest head coaching candidate in the 2027 cycle.

Just watch. Or if you're a Miami supporter, maybe hide your eyes while you do.