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Chargers possibly impacted by Dolphins firing Mike McDaniel

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Chris Roling | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 7:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Chargers have all eyes on the New England Patriots ahead of the NFL playoffs.

But we’d be remiss not to mention just how much the head-coaching search elsewhere in the NFL right now might be impacting the Chargers for years to come.

Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander, after all, is a top general manager target for teams already eliminated from the playoffs and resetting things as we speak.

And with Thursday’s shocker that was the Miami Dolphins ultimately deciding to fire head coach Mike McDaniel, the Chargers suddenly have to worry about that situation, too.

Chargers impacted by Dolphins’ shocking move, John Harbaugh

The Dolphins just became the most likely problem for the Chargers during the head-coach hiring cycle.

Alexander was already reportedly headed for an in-person interview with the Dolphins this week, as pointed out by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Now, the close connections between John Harbaugh and Alexander, dating back to their time together in Baltimore, are the top thing to watch for the Chargers.

The Miami Dolphins have yet to reach out to John Harbaugh’s representation. However, with Chad Alexander interviewing in-person for the GM job and his close connections to Harbaugh, this will be one to watch.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 8, 2026

Harbaugh is the top coach on the market by a long shot and is an obvious target for teams like the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. Alexander was always a threat to follow him to one of those locations, if not go do his own thing without a Harbaugh brother.

But the sudden vacancy in Miami is pretty telling. Speculation had already hinted that a team with a head coach under contract had reached out to John Harbaugh. Hardly 24 hours later, the job in Miami opened up.

As of last night, the Miami Dolphins had had no contact with John Harbaugh or his camp, per sources.

I'd expect that to change.

And if you're connecting dots, Chad Alexander (interviewing for Dolphins GM job) has a long history with Harbaugh from their Baltimore days.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 8, 2026

Jim Harbaugh had just got done joking at a Chargers presser that he hopes John lands in the NFL. Given the sudden happenings, it sure feels like John’s headed to Miami and likely hoping to take Alexander with him.

At the same time, the Chargers have to hope that defensive coordinator Jesse Minter doesn’t go and get hired in the head-coaching spot for the Baltimore Ravens, too.

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Chargers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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