Mike McDaniel. Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Chargers make it official with Mike McDaniel

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jan 26, 2026 6:33 PM ET

Almost a week after it was reported that the Los Angeles Chargers were planning on hiring Mike McDaniel to be their next offensive coordinator, the team has made it official.

Last week, Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN reported that this move was expected to happen. McDaniel was still a hot name on the head-coaching market, though, so nothing was official.

McDaniel had interviewed for multiple head-coaching jobs. That included gigs with the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders, but it appears that he's content to take a step down and be a coordinator in 2026.

He withdrew his name for the openings in Cleveland and Buffalo, and on Monday, the Chargers made the hire official. McDaniel, 42, announced the hire himself in the most Mike McDaniel-way possible.

Here's the video from the Chargers:

pic.twitter.com/puLqoEeiW5
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 26, 2026

Mike McDaniel to be the "head coach" of the Los Angeles Chargers offense

McDaniel was hired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins because of his chops as a play-caller on offense. In fact, he was also being pursued by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles to fill their vacant offensive coordinator positions.

In 2022, in his first season with the Dolphins, his offense ranked sixth in total yards. In 2023, his unit led the league in total offense, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the league with 4,624 passing yards and made the Pro Bowl.

McDaniel and the Dolphins appeared to be on the up-and-up. He went 0-2 in the playoffs, and these past few seasons saw Miami start trending in the opposite direction. Injuries were a factor, of course, but McDaniel went 8-9 in 2024 and 7-10 this past season.

According to Kris Rhim of ESPN, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was looking for a coordinator who could be the "head coach of the offense."

For his part, McDaniel was drawn by the idea of coming back to California as well as the opportunity to coach quarterback Justin Herbert, according to Rhim.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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