The race to hire former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator is heating up, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in the thick of things.
“Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will interview for the Bucs’ OC job Friday,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on Wednesday, January 14. “He would consider a great OC opportunity better than a not-great head coaching vacancy.”
One thing is for certain — McDaniel will have options as to where his next job takes him.
“Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel will interview Friday with the Bucs for their offensive coordinator’s job,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on X. “He is interviewing for several head coaching jobs, including the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore Ravens, and also for the Offensive Coordinator job with the Detroit Lions.”
McDaniel Fired After Consecutive Losing Seasons
The job is open because Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after one season and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The Dolphins fired McDaniel on January 8 after he went 35-33 over 4 seasons, including consecutive losing seasons in 2024 and 2025. He’s been a popular target for the Buccaneers and their fans since that news broke.
“Mike McDaniel just got fired,” The Draft Network’s JC Cornell wrote on X on January 8. “This is THE move for Buccaneers at OC. His Shanahan system is perfect for Baker—play action, bootlegs, misdirection, RPOs. Baker thrives on the move and creating off-script. McDaniel schemes guys open better than almost anyone in the league.”
One High Profile Move Above All Others
Perhaps the highest profile move McDaniel could make — and one that would lead directly to him becoming a head coach in 2027 if he succeeds — is becoming offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles fell flat on offense in their Super Bowl title defense in 2025 almost entirely due to their struggles on offense. First year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired after a home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Calls to bring McDaniel to Philadelphia were already ringing out before Patullo finally got his walking papers on January 13.
“The Eagles should hire him today,” Sports Grid’s Kevin Walsh wrote on his official X account. “Let Mike McDaniel be a ‘consultant’ for now and promise him the job no matter what when the season is over.”
“Mike McDaniel and Vic Fangio would be the perfect OC/DC duo in Philly,” Real Talk With MJ wrote on its official X account. “Even if the Eagles win the Super Bowl, I would replace Patullo with McDaniel.”
McDaniel’s history as an offensive coordinator is actually a lot briefer than what people might think. In his 15 seasons as an NFL assistant before he was hired by the Dolphins as head coach in 2022, he only spent one season as an offensive coordinator, with the 49ers in 2021.
The possibility of the Eagles canning Patullo seemed to take hold in the first few weeks of the regular season — as did the idea of putting McDaniel in charge of their super-charged offense.
“Listen to me closely, Nick Sirianni,” The Ringer’s Diante Lee wrote on X on September 14. “Future Eagles offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.”
Buccaneers Announce Next Step for Possible OC Mike McDaniel