Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel had an unhappy visit to Cleveland during the regular season and he’ll be hoping things go better when he meets with the team this week.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that McDaniel will interview for the Browns’ head coaching job on Monday.
It will be the first interview for McDaniel since he was fired by the Dolphins last week. He is also slated to interview for the Titans’ vacancy on Wednesday.
McDaniel went 35-33 over four seasons in Miami. He took the Dolphins to the playoffs in his first two seasons, but they were 15-19 over the last two years.
Starting this week, former Ravens coach John Harbaugh will attack the interview process with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. And with leverage the NFL hasn’t seen in decades.
Harbaugh has multiple options for his next stop. He’s being selective. And he could end up having even more choices, based on what happens in Green Bay and (if the Bills lose today) Buffalo.
He’s in position to request a very large salary. He’s in position to seek control over the roster. He’s in position to ask for the team to let him hire a General Manager, even if it means firing the one they currently have.
That doesn’t mean everyone would do it. But it only takes one who is sufficiently desperate to give Harbaugh what he wants. And if Harbaugh gives a little on one term, he could get more on another.
Harbaugh also has another potential play, one that we addressed on PFT Live after the Ravens moved on. He could take a year off and work in TV, like Sean Payton did four years ago. It would make Harbaugh the odds-on, A-list candidate throughout the next season, hovering over every hot seat as the next coach, if the current coach gets fired.
If Harbaugh decides to wait, the hot spots for 2027 would be (possibly) the Jets, the Bills (if they don’t make a change this year), the Bengals, the Colts, the Chiefs (if Andy Reid decides to retire), the Cowboys, the Commanders, the Buccaneers, the Panthers, and the Saints.
Either way, Harbaugh’s effort to explore his next coaching job starts soon. And he could decide to take a job now, or to take a job later.
Matt Ryan is moving from TV to the Falcons. Raheem Morris could be moving from the Falcons to TV.
Morris, who was fired on Sunday after two seasons as the head coach in Atlanta, may eventually shift to broadcasting.
Via Sean Keeley of AwfulAnnouncing.com, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media floated the possibility of Morris making a move to media on Saturday.
For now, Morris is on the radar screen of the Giants, Titans, and Cardinals, each of whom are looking for new head coaches.
Morris previously coached the Buccaneers from 2009 through 2011. He worked for more than a decade as an assistant before getting a second shot. Still only 49, Morris could take a break from coaching, or make a permanent break from the non-stop grind for an easier way to make a living — even if being a head coach generally pays better.
But, hey, someone needs to take Ryan’s spot at CBS. Why not Morris?
The Titans have completed interviews with seven candidates in the first week of the franchise’s head coach search, the team announced Saturday.
The team also confirmed it is not done with the first round of candidate interviews, with more next week.
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Titans interim coach Mike McCoy, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski were the initial candidates that General Manager Mike Borgonzi and other team officials interviewed.
The Titans also have requested interviews with former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
The Titans are seeking to replace Brian Callahan, whom they fired during the season.
Former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has heard from a lot of teams about their head coaching vacancies since being fired last week, but he isn’t planning to speak to all of them.
Harbaugh is expected to start interviewing with teams next week and he told Jay Glazer of Fox Sports that he is taking the weekend to narrow down the list of teams he is interested in meeting with about their openings. Harbaugh told Glazer that he expects that list to include three or four teams at the end of that process.
There’s no word about any teams that may have already made the cut and there’s a chance that there could be more openings once the first round of playoff games comes to an end with Monday’s game between the Steelers and the Texans.
Harbaugh’s plans will likely have a ripple effect on the entire head coaching cycle as teams that aren’t in the running for his services can move on while others wait to find out what Harbaugh’s next stop is going to be.
