Dolphins to Hire 49ers Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel as Head Coach

The 49ers just lost their offensive coordinator.

Mike McDaniel will be the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 49ers will receive a third-round compensatory pick in each of the next two drafts because McDaniel is biracial.

This news comes as no surprise, as McDaniel was the favorite to land the job. That most likely was why the 49ers recently hired Anthony Lynn as their assistant head coach. Lynn has experience as an offensive coordinator and run game coordinator, which were McDaniel's two responsibilities with the 49ers.

In addition to Lynn, the 49ers still could hire an offensive coordinator to fill McDaniel's position, and Pep Hamilton is a natural candidate. Hamilton was Lynn's quarterback coach on the Chargers when Lynn was their head coach. In 2020, Hamilton worked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert when he was a rookie. Currently, Hamilton is the quarterback coach and passing game coordinator for the Houston Texans. The 49ers could hire him or someone else to be their offensive coordinator soon, although head coach Kyle Shanahan almost certainly will continue to call plays.

It will be interesting to see which players and coaches McDaniel will bring with him to the Dolphins. It's possible he'll want to bring running back Raheem Mostert or guard Laken Tomlinson, both of whom will be free agents this offseason. It's also possible McDaniel will want to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, because Garoppolo knows his system, and the Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, gets injured often. Of course, so does Garoppolo, but two injury-prone quarterbacks are better than one, I guess.

We'll find out soon all the ways this move will affect the 49ers.