The Las Vegas Raiders have a ways to go until they decide who their next offensive coordinator will be. Heck, they don't even know who their next head coach will be! Who that is will certainly play a massive role in who gets hired to help run the offensive side of the ball.
But Raider Nation had their dream scenarios in mind, many of which included former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel in some capacity. His innovative and quarterback-friendly system keeps defenses on their toes, and he would help provide the jolt that Las Vegas so badly needs on offense.
McDaniel interviewed for the Raiders' head coaching post, but the dots started connecting him elsewhere on Tuesday. He told the Cleveland Browns that he wasn't interested in their head coach job, so people thought he would become Robert Saleh's offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.
Mike McDaniel expected to become Chargers' next offensive coordinator
We also noted that, after he removed himself from consideration for the Browns' job, he could be a serious candidate to take over offensive coordinator duties for the Los Angeles Chargers. Well, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that McDaniel is expected to do just that on Tuesday. A gut punch.
Schefter added that McDaniel has told other teams that they are out and that this is the job that he prefers, barring a change of heart. Raider Nation sure hopes that he does, as not having McDaniel is one thing, but having to face him twice a year for the foreseeable future is another.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero provided a caveat to this news, however, which is that no deal has been signed yet. That's because McDaniel is still a candidate for the Raiders and Baltimore Ravens' head coaching jobs. It sounds like if one of those two teams offered him the gig, he'd blow off the Chargers.
Now, is hiring McDaniel as a head coach the best option? Probably not. Is it still a good one? Absolutely. It would also be a double whammy for the Chargers, as it would send them back into the play-caller wilderness and give Las Vegas a bright, young offensive mind to work with a rookie QB.
But that doesn't feel likely.
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Sure, offensive coordinator deals fall through all the time. Kliff Kingsbury appeared to be signed, sealed and delivered to the Raiders ahead of the 2024 NFL season, but he spurned them to join the Washington Commanders. Now, he's out of a job there. Things change fast in this league.
Every report indicates, however, that McDaniel wants to be in Los Angeles with Justin Herbert if he is going to take an offensive coordinator job. Unless the Raiders are truly that high on McDaniel, it doesn't make sense to give him a head coach job in Las Vegas just to screw the Chargers over.
Ideally, McDaniel has an adequate enough year in Los Angeles so that he's one-and-done with the franchise and lands another head coach job. Perhaps the Chargers' defense can bring them down, and McDaniel's offense is not insurmountable for the Silver and Black.
Las Vegas already had its work cut out for it during the 2026 NFL season, but having to keep McDaniel's offense in check twice next year will be a lot harder than containing a Greg Roman-led offense. This seems like a good move for the Chargers and a missed opportunity for the Raiders.
The coaching cycle is still young, however, and if John Spytek and Tom Brady land an offensive savant who gives them a schematic advantage at either head coach or offensive coordinator, then all this talk about McDaniel will be forgotten.