Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel looks on during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

NFL Insider Gives Cardinals Fans Disappointing Mike McDaniel News

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Jan 12, 2026 12:14 PM ET

ARIZONA — As coaching searches across the league become more and more open, the Arizona Cardinals' reality of finding their next head man continues to take shape with realistic and unrealistic options.

When it comes to the recently fired Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel, many fans had hoped the coveted offensive mind would come to the desert. Whether that was as a coordinator or head coach was debatable, though he's undeniably one of the more prominent names on the market.

McDaniel's set to interview with a handful of teams this week — but the Cardinals aren't in the mix.

Cardinals Out of Mike McDaniels Race?

From NFL insider Tom Pelissero:

"Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will interview this week for the Browns, Falcons, Titans and Ravens head coaching jobs, per sources. McDaniel also is scheduled to interview for the Lions OC job. One of the NFL’s top offensive minds is in high demand."

It's disappointing to say the least, as Arizona doesn't appear to be a candidate to even get McDaniel in the building for an interview.

The Cardinals' offense needs a massive lift after head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing couldn't maximize talent such as Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson during their three years in the desert.

McDaniel is viewed as one of the more innovative offensive minds in the NFL, though some believe he's not quite the culture/tone-setter Arizona may be looking for.

"First and foremost, we're looking for a strong leader. Being a head coach in the NFL is a difficult job, and there's 31 other teams that are trying to do the same thing that we're doing," general manager Monti Ossenfort said when asked what the Cardinals were looking for.

"And so a lot goes into that. There's being a strong leader, it's creating accountability and dependability in the locker room, it's creating advantages on the field, putting our players in a position to be successful.

"It's developing young players. It's helping them take that next step. We get players out of college, and we have to get them better. And so there's a lot that falls under the umbrella of a head coach, and so we're focused on finding a coach that can help us achieve those goals."

However, he did lead Miami to the playoffs in his first two seasons before the Dolphins collapsed in his final two years at the helm.

It'd be tough for Arizona to truly beat out some of his other options, as the Cardinals clearly aren't a top landing spot for coaches at this point in time.

However, it's still disappointing to not see Arizona in the mix for one of the more coveted head coaches available.