Chargers Stars Finally Break Silence About the Mike McDaniel Hire

Los Angeles Chargers fans aren’t the only ones excited for the arrival of Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator.

It should almost go without saying, but key members of the Chargers offense are excited, too.

Hard to blame any Chargers player feeling that way right about now. Jim Harbaugh came over and revitalized the overall Chargers program, but brought along coordinator Greg Roman.

Roman struggled to keep the offense performing at a high level. Critical injuries didn’t help, but the appearance of simply being overmatched in the playoffs left a mark Harbaugh couldn’t ignore before firing him.

Fast forward to now, some key names like Ladd McConkey sound excited about a fresh start.

Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey reveal thoughts on Mike McDaniel hire

Chargers wideouts Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey took some interviews in San Francisco this week during the media circus of Super Bowl week.

One sitdown with RJ Ochoa of SB Nation, specifically, produced some interesting quotes about McDaniel.

“Super excited. He’s a mastermind when it comes to offense,” McConkey said. “You’ve seen his offenses and what he's done in the past. I’m super excited about a fresh start and what he’s bringing to our team. And just the way he’s going to be able to use all our weapons, think it’s going to be something special.”

Few should be more excited than McConkey. After a breakout rookie season, he regressed to just 789 receiving yards and six scores over 66 catches in 16 games last year. As a rookie, he had drummed up 1,149 yards and seven scores on 82 grabs.

mike drop

we've named Mike McDaniel offensive coordinator → https://t.co/FDumIl8Lzh pic.twitter.com/tUoPR8Jg4x
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 26, 2026

At a time when McConkey should have been ascending while the returning Allen took away the attention of defenses, things managed to get worse.

As for Allen, he’s slated to be a free agent, but he sure feels like a fit in a McDaniel offense. The Chargers, in addition to these two, have second-rounder Tre Harris and former first-rounder Quentin Johnston to use in the passing attack, plus breakout rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden.

Giving McDaniel this many options is a good thing, though. There’s plenty of reason for anyone with a passing understanding of his prior work as an innovator to feel hyped about the Chargers, which certainly includes the players about to benefit on the field.

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