The Philadelphia Eagles are back to the drawing board after their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions came up short this season. Their first order of business involves finding a new offensive coordinator after the team moved on from Kevin Patullo, but it appears the team has been dealt a big blow in the pursuit of its top target.
Considering how much Philadelphia struggled on offense last season, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the team has cast a wide net in its search for a new offensive coordinator. According to reports, former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had emerged as their top candidate, but he found a new home on Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Eagles Lose Out on Mike McDaniel to the Chargers
Philly’s offense struggled in 2025 under Patullo’s watch, as the group that led the team to a championship the year before was nearly unrecognizable. In the wake of their early playoff exit, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see Patullo be relieved of his duties, although he could end up sticking around on Nick Sirianni’s staff in another role.
With the Eagles looking to get this unit back on track, that led them to McDaniel, whose stint with the Dolphins unraveled in record time. Despite that, teams saw what McDaniel managed to do with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback before he became a shell of himself, and that led to him being pursued for several head coach and offensive coordinator opportunities.
Despite having options to land somewhere as a head coach, McDaniel always seemed like a better fit for several of the offensive coordinator gigs he interviewed for. After meeting with Los Angeles on Tuesday night, he ended up accepting its offer to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff, which was a big blow for Philadelphia, because McDaniel was rumored to be its top target for its own offensive coordinator opening.
“The Chargers are expected to hire former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as the team’s new offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington on Tuesday night,” Kris Rhim wrote for ESPN. “The Buccaneers and Eagles pursued him as their top offensive coordinator target.”
Eagles Must Pivot After Missing Out on Mike McDaniel
GettyMIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins looks on prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
While the Eagles have a stable head coach situation with Sirianni in charge, it seems like they are prioritizing coaches with a proven track record on the offensive side of the ball currently. That is likely why McDaniel was such a captivating target for them, as his work with Tagovailoa early in his career has become even more impressive as he has fallen out of a starting role with the team.
Philly must regroup now and quickly find a new top target before it is too late. The good news is that it has met with several other talented offensive minds, but it remains to be seen who is at the top of the list behind McDaniel. Now that he’s off the board, though, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Eagles lock in on a new target and make a move in order to avoid missing out on someone for the second time.
Eagles Get Bad News on Top Offensive Coordinator Candidate