A new era of football is underway for the Miami Dolphins. After firing head coach Mike McDaniel early in the offseason, the Dolphins moved quickly to hire former Green Bay Packers‘ defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. While Hafley is now building out his coaching staff with the Dolphins, folks were quick to notice that it didn’t exactly take McDaniel long to find a new home himself.
After being a candidate for several head coach and offensive coordinator vacancies, McDaniel opted to join Jim Harbaugh‘s staff with the Los Angeles Chargers as their new offensive coordinator. After things fell apart for him in Miami, it seems like McDaniel is ready for a fresh start, and he even took a parting shot at his old team on Tuesday at his introductory press conference.
Mike McDaniel Throws Parting Jab at Dolphins
McDaniel was hired by the Dolphins back in 2022, and he quickly turned their offense into one of the most high-powered units in the league. As time went on, though, Miami’s roster began to crumble, and McDaniel was left searching for answers. The 2025 season was a slog for McDaniel, even though he somehow guided the Dolphins to seven wins.
Initially, it seemed like McDaniel had done enough to hold onto his job with the Dolphins, as the team opted to fire general manager Chris Grier midway through the season. That suddenly changed when McDaniel was abruptly fired a couple of days after the team’s Week 18 finale, prompting him to immediately look for a new home.
That landing spot saw McDaniel move out west, where he will look to help get a struggling Chargers offense back on track. While McDaniel is looking forward to his new task at hand, it’s clear he hasn’t completely forgotten about how things ended with Miami. When discussing the Dolphins’ loss to L.A. in 2025, McDaniel ended things by taking a sly jab at his former team, hinting at his displeasure with the state of the team and its roster.
“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, I guess,” McDaniel said when explaining his decision to join the Chargers.
Dolphins Set to Embark on Rebuild After Moving on From Mike McDaniel
GettyHead coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins looks on prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
While McDaniel was likely surprised to have gotten canned by the Dolphins, it doesn’t seem like he’s too upset to have found his way to the Chargers. McDaniel clearly is impressed with what the offense showed when it took down Miami in 2025, and there’s reason to believe he can help take this group to another level moving forward.
As for the Dolphins, they are prioritizing a fresh start from top to bottom, which is the main reason why McDaniel was shown the exit door. Once Hafley builds out his staff, the front office is going to have to figure out how to retool this roster, and it could result in a hectic offseason that has Miami looking like a very different team when it eventually returns to action.
Mike McDaniel Takes Subtle Shot at Dolphins After Being Hired by Chargers