Mike McDaniel isn’t quite ready to don a Dodgers hat and scream “I Love L.A.” just yet.
Days after the Chargers reportedly landed the ex-Dolphins coach to be their offensive coordinator, McDaniel will now interview for the Bills’ head coach opening, per Sports Illustrated.
McDaniel reportedly will honor his Chargers pact should he not land in Buffalo.
While this may seem unusual, this is at least the second known instance of an assistant seeking better opportunities during this cycle while agreeing to a coordinator role.
The Vikings agreed to an extension with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, but only should he not land one of the five remaining head coach openings with the Bills, Steelers, Raiders, Browns and Cardinals.
The Giants, Titans, Packers, Falcons and Ravens have each filled their vacancies.
This potential change to McDaniel’s 2026 plans is due to the Buffalo job only becoming open Monday after the team moved on from Sean McDermott after the 33-30 overtime playoff loss to the Broncos.
McDaniel reportedly agreed to the deal with the Chargers the next day, and Buffalo is now assembling candidates for the coveted position.
Former Giants coach Brian Daboll and current Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady are among those McDaniel will be competing with for the job.
The idea of a McDaniel-Josh Allen pairing is certainly tantalizing since McDaniel is an offensive-minded coach who guided some top offenses in Miami.
While the Dolphins did not enjoy the success they expected during his tenure, several offensive players experienced great individual seasons under his tutelage.
After Buffalo’s season ended in part due to underwhelming play from the receivers, including the besieged Keon Coleman, the idea of McDaniel developing them seemingly has value.
One intriguing subplot about this candidacy is that McDaniel’s teams were known for being rather soft when playing in cold weather and Buffalo is one of the most frigid environments in the NFL.
McDaniel went 35-33 across four seasons with the Dolphins, while posting an 0-2 playoff record that included a 34-31 wild-card road loss to the Bills in 2023 with backup Skylar Thompson starting at quarterback.
