Mike McDaniel seemed to do enough to warrant another year of being the Miami Dolphins‘ head coach, but when the team hired a new general manager, they decided to fire him. He immediately became one of the most sought-after offensive coordinator candidates on the market.
However, there were some teams that still considered him a strong head coaching candidate. The Las Vegas Raiders have seemingly been the team that has considered hiring him the most.
There are aspects of McDaniel’s coaching that he needs to work on, but there’s no denying he’s one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL and a strong playcaller.
He makes a lot of sense as a coach to help develop a young quarterback like Fernando Mendoza. As McDaniel has waited for word on a head coaching job, he tentatively accepted the Los Angeles Chargers‘ offensive coordinator job.
He hadn’t signed a contract, but if he was going to take an offensive coordinator job, it was going to be with the Chargers. It now appears that he has potentially received word that the Raiders won’t be hiring, as the Chargers announced on Monday that McDaniel has officially signed a contract to be the team’s offensive coordinator.
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Can McDaniel Still Be Raiders HC?
Now that McDaniel has signed a contract with Los Angeles, it would seem that he’s out of the running for the Raiders’ job. Since he’s technically still allowed to accept a job that would be a promotion, it’s not impossible for him to still go to Las Vegas, but it’s unlikely he would sign a contract if he thinks he still has a chance there.
The Raiders could also get turned down by other candidates they liked more, which could lead them back to McDaniel. That said, he might not want to go to a team where he was a third or fourth choice, especially after getting fired. The Raiders will quickly find out if they made a mistake, as they’ll now be coaching against him twice next season.
Who Is in the Running for Raiders?
With McDaniel seemingly out of the running, the Raiders’ list of realistic candidates seems to be thinning. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady recently had an interview. He might be a stronger candidate for the job than previously realized.
The Raiders also gave a surprise interview to former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. He could also be in the mix to be the team’s offensive coordinator, depending on who gets the head coaching job.
As of now, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb appear to be the two favorites. Kubiak is hirable yet, as the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. If his playcalling is good enough to get to a Super Bowl, the Raiders need to be patient.
Webb is a lot greener, but he’d be a big bet on upside. Since the Broncos lost in the AFC Championship game, Webb is free to hire whenever. If he’s the coach the Raiders truly want, he could be hired very soon.
Raiders Seemingly Make Decision on Mike McDaniel After Announcement