Ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel lines up 4 head coaching interviews, plus a Lions OC interview

It’s not a stretch to say that Mike McDaniel’s firing was one of the more anticipated firings this season. After the Miami Dolphins’ disastrous season, it was widely believed that McDaniel would be fired from his spot. Despite the sour end to his stint, many still valued the former head coach’s tactics and playmaking.

McDaniel’s busy January is proof that the ex-Dolphins coach is highly coveted in the league. Tom Pelissero reports that McDaniel currently has four interviews lined up for open head coaching gigs. In addition, the ex-Miami coach has an interview in Detroit for their open head coaching position.

“Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will interview this week for the Browns, Falcons, Titans and Ravens head coaching jobs, per sources,” Pelissero posted on X. “McDaniel also is scheduled to interview for the Lions OC job. One of the NFL’s top offensive minds is in high demand.”

McDaniel was hired by the Dolphins back in 2022. After a successful period as the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan, McDaniel was given the keys to a Miami offense with Tyreek Hill. There, the head coach engineered one of the most explosive offenses this decade. His magnum opus was the Dolphins’ 70-point barrage against the Denver Broncos in his second season with the team.

After that season, though, the Dolphins have never reached those same heights again. Part of it is due to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering multiple injuries during McDaniel’s stint. However, it’s also worth noting that McDaniel partly played a hand in their struggles.

Still, it seems like teams highly value McDaniel’s pedigree as a coach. The running narrative appears to be that his uninspiring last two years in Miami were a product of Tagovailoa’s underperformance. We’ll see what coaching job McDaniel takes this offseason, but he’ll have plenty of suitors either way.

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