T
he Chargers are struggling to begin the 2026 NFL season. After a Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos, the franchise is 0-5 to begin a season for the first time since 2003. The offense in particular has been stagnant, with quarterback Justin Herbert playing arguably the worst football of his career. Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has come under fire as a result, leading to questions about his future. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has backed him through it all and is not ready to make changes.
Still, the struggles can only continue for so long. The Chargers have made the playoffs the last two seasons and need to get something going if they want to salvage their season. McDaniel’s offense needs to improve or else it will be hard for Harbaugh and the team to justify keeping him around. NFL insider Ian Rapoport identified a potential successor who could surprise some people if the team makes a change.
Could Adam Gase return as a high profile NFL coach?
This offseason, the Chargers hired longtime assistant and former head coach Adam Gase to join their staff. Gase has not been on an NFL staff since 2020, his final season as the New York Jets head coach. But he has succeeded as an offensive coordinator, and Rapoport says he could replace McDaniel if the team fires him.
“If that continues to be the case, they do have someone inside the building who has been a really successful offensive coordinator, in Adam Gase,” Rapoport said. “I know people sort of roll their eyes, he had at some point the highest-scoring offense in NFL history, pretty good coach. So if they do end up making a move, that would be someone who could step in.”
Gase currently serves as the Chargers’ passing game specialist but he was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos and Chicago Bears before he became a head coach. It will be interesting to see if he gets another chance to lead an offense and prove that he still has what it takes to succeed as an NFL coach.
A Look at Gase’s Coaching Career
Gase started his coaching career at LSU back in 2000, starting as a graduate assistant before becoming a defensive assistant. Following his three season stint as a college coach, and three seasons in the Detroit Lions‘ scouting department, he landed his first NFL coaching job in 2005 as an offensive assistant for the Lions.
He became the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2007 and was in that role for one season before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2008 as an offensive assistant under offensive coordinator Mike Martz. It was there that his career took off, leading to him joining the Broncos in 2009. He coached their wide receivers from 2009-2010 and quarterbacks from 2011-2012 before earning a promotion to offensive coordinator in 2013, a role he held through the 2014 season.
Gase spent one season as the Bears offensive coordinator in 2015 before landing his first head coaching job in 2016 with the Miami Dolphins. He led the Dolphins to a 10-6 record and a playoff appearance in his first season, but after consecutive losing seasons in 2017 and 2018, the team fired him. He coached the Jets in 2019 and 2020, but the team fired him after he went 9-23 over two seasons.
Possible Successor to Chargers’ Mike McDaniel Named by NFL Insider