Mike

McDaniel

Yesterday, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator could appeal to McDaniel because it gives him “full autonomy of the offense,” with head coach Todd Bowles focused on the defensive side of the football. The Eagles, Lions and Chargers are also reportedly interested in hiring McDaniel as their next offensive coordinator, though all three teams possess offensive-minded head coaches.

McDaniel won’t be without a job for long, but whether or not he lands a job as a head coach or an offensive coordinator is still to be determined. The former Dolphins head coach last spoke with the Ravens on Thursday regarding their head coaching vacancy, and is reportedly at the top of the list for the Eagles to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. McDaniel also interviewed for the head coaching vacancies for both the Browns and Falcons. McDaniel would likely have full autonomy over the Bucs’ offense should he join the team, and could help turn around an offense the regressed in its first season sans Liam Coen.

McDaniel is the Ravens’ 11th head-coaching interviewee. Earlier today, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that McDaniel “is very coveted” by teams with offensive coordinator vacancies. He could still make a lateral move at the head-coaching level, though. Pairing McDaniel with QB Lamar Jackson’s play-making ability would be very fun for fantasy purposes.

The Buccaneers, Eagles, Lions and Chargers are interested in hiring McDaniel for their offensive coordinator vacancies. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington notes that the Eagles, Lions and Chargers are all run by offensive-minded head coaches. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles previously held defensive coordinator roles with the Buccaneers (2019-2021), Cardinals (2013-2014) and Eagles (2012). He allows his offensive coordinators “full autonomy of the offense,” which could appeal to a former head coach like McDaniel, who may wish to avoid butting heads with an offensive-minded head coach over scheme and staff.

McDaniel has been a busy man since being fired by Miami. He has several interviews for both head coaching and OC vacancies. McDaniel will likely be stuck with a less-than-deal head coaching job if he lands one. It could be smarter for him to rehab his image as a play-caller in a great situation before returning to a better opening as a head coach down the road. An opportunity to work with Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ deep cast of pass-catchers would certainly allow McDaniel to prove his worth. Detroit and Philadelphia are also intriguing offensive coordinator openings for the former Miami boss.

Both McDaniel and Daboll are interviewing for head-coaching vacancies elsewhere. Accepting a lesser role with a respected organization like the Eagles could be worth it for the former head coaches. Earlier today, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Murphy opined that McDaniel is the “perfect” offensive coordinator candidate for the Eagles. He certainly would bring a fresh offensive perspective.

After firing offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo following a mostly disastrous 2025 season, the Eagles should seek “a fresh set of eyes” to reevaluate the Philly offense and how it utilizes its skill position players, Murphy said. McDaniel, who designed and called plays for a Miami offense that ranked among the NFL’s most efficient from 2022 to 2024 — before the team’s 2025 collapse. Eagles players, including DeVonta Smith, said after the team’s Wild Card loss to the 49ers that the offensive scheme had not changed at all in recent years despite the Eagles shuffling through offensive coordinators. That suggests the problem lies with head coach Nick Sirianni. “Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie pride themselves on being ahead of the curve. They’d rather be a year early than a year late,” Murphy said. “Right now, it is getting late early. McDaniel or not, they need a new voice, an inventive mind, and a fresh set of eyes. Anybody else will end up right where Patullo is. And that’s not fair to anybody.”

McDaniel was interviewed during Monday’s Texans-Steelers game. It’s the third head-coaching job that McDaniel has interviewed for this cycle, along with the Titans and Browns. The interest in him as an offensive mind has been more robust than expected thus far, perhaps he actually will get a chance to get a head-coaching gig this offseason now that there are a stunning nine vacancies.

That’s the Browns, Falcons, Ravens and Titans with interviews scheduled or completed for McDaniel, who has taken exclusively head-coaching interviews so far. (The Lions have reached out to McDaniel about their offensive coordinator vacancy, but he hasn’t taken the interview as far as we can tell.) McDaniel is probably one of the most valuable 32 head coaches in the league given what he managed to squeeze out of the Dolphins in the Tua Tagovailoa Era, but he doesn’t exactly have widespread appeal amongst the eight head-coaching vacancies. He’s one of the more fascinating coaching free agents this go-around.

Yesterday, it was reported that the Lions had reached out to McDaniel regarding their offensive coordinator vacancy. The former Dolphins’ head coach now has the chance to make a lateral move over to the AFC South, though. McDaniel could make life easier for QB Cam Ward with his creative play designs. It is an interesting potential pairing. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that there “has been significant interest in McDaniel since Miami fired him.”