What’s Going on with Mike McDaniel and the Chargers?

McDaniel has left the building for the Chargers, but all signs still point to the deal happening. 

In a mailbag, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes that McDaniel “left, and he’s coming back as the team’s offensive coordinator.”

Breer added this about how things might go: 

“I’m very intrigued with this hire, and not just because of the fun Odd Couple dynamic that Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel will have, but also the marriage of systems. Harbaugh’s intention, I was told, was to marry his power running game with a Shanahan scheme, to try to help quarterback Justin Herbert take the next steps.”

So, barring an outrageous stunner, the Chargers and McDaniel simply haven’t nailed down the fine details of a deal. But it’s still going to happen.

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This meshes with reports that McDaniel started to inform other teams he was signing on the West Coast. Reports similarly said the Chargers had already started informing other teams of their intent to move forward with McDaniel. 

And on the topic of personalities and offense, indeed, Jim Harbaugh’s run-first ways and McDaniel’s Shanahan-style passing attacks should make for a pretty interesting offense around franchise quarterback Justin Herbert. 

Herbert with West Coast roots in his passing game and gap-downhill running with first-round pick Omarion Hampton just sounds like a great blueprint for both the Chargers and McDaniel.

For now, no reason to panic, all things considered. McDaniel might be a short-term hire, perhaps for even as little as one year, but he's suddenly in the driver's seat to play a key role in Herbert's career at a pivotal time before perhaps moving on to other head-coaching chances after 2026.

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