Mike McDaniel Set To Interview For Marquee Offensive Coordinator Job
Sometimes, the NFL coaching carousel feels less like a merry-go-round and more like a game of musical chairs played on a tilt-a-whirl. Just when you think you’ve got a seat, the music stops, the floor drops out, and suddenly you’re standing on the sidelines wondering what happened to your headset.
That’s essentially where Mike McDaniel finds himself this week. After four seasons in South Beach, the former Miami Dolphins head coach is back on the market. But if you thought being let go after a respectable 35-33 run would send him into hiding, think again. McDaniel isn’t licking his wounds; he’s booking flights.
This Tuesday, the offensive guru is set to interview for the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator vacancy. Will he end up getting the job?
Why Detroit Needs a Spark
The Lions just had a season they’d probably like to scrub from the archives. After the high-octane excitement of the Ben Johnson era, 2025 felt like trying to drive a Ferrari in a school zone. Head coach Dan Campbell brought in John Morton to call the shots, but that experiment lasted exactly one season. Morton struggled to fill Johnson’s massive shoes, eventually losing play-calling duties halfway through the year as the Lions missed the postseason for the first time since 2022.
The offense looked disjointed. The biting of kneecaps was replaced by the gnashing of teeth. Detroit needs its swagger back. They need someone who looks at a playbook not as a set of instructions, but as a canvas for chaos. Enter McDaniel.
The McDaniel Effect
Love him or hate his quirks, you can’t deny the man knows how to move the football. In 2023, he orchestrated the league’s No. 1 ranked offense. He turned Sundays into track meets. Sure, things fizzled out a bit over the last two seasons, but the blueprint is there.
McDaniel is an architect of speed. He creates space where there shouldn’t be any. For a Lions team that has weapons but lacked direction last year, he could be the ultimate skeleton key. Imagine Jahmyr Gibbs in a McDaniel scheme. But here is where the story gets spicy. McDaniel isn’t just looking for a coordinator gig. He’s a hot commodity for the big chair, too.
A Man in Demand
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, McDaniel isn’t just chatting with Detroit. The man’s calendar is fuller than a gym in January. He’s reportedly lining up interviews for head coaching vacancies with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore Ravens.
ESPN insider Jeff Darlington noted that McDaniel isn’t rushing into anything. And why should he? When you have nine potential suitors (between HC and OC openings), you don’t jump at the first ring.
What Happens Next?
If Detroit manages to land him as an OC, it would be a massive coup. It would be like getting a Michelin-star chef to run your food truck. But they are fighting an uphill battle against teams offering him the head coaching headset.
If he goes to Cleveland or Atlanta, he gets to run the whole show again. If he goes to Detroit, he gets to focus purely on the X’s and O’s without the headache of roster management and media scrutiny that comes with being the face of the franchise. Maybe a year or two of just calling plays is what he needs.
McDaniel won’t be unemployed for long. Whether he’s stalking the sidelines as a head coach or dialing up screen passes from the booth in Ford Field, he’s going to be part of the 2026 NFL story. And frankly, the league is more fun when he’s around.
