Will Josh Allen Rip Mike McDaniel from Justin Herbert and the Chargers?

Pump the proverbial brakes on the hype surrounding Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert getting an innovative, trend-setting offensive mind with Mike McDaniel as his next offensive coordinator.

While it sounds like McDaniel is currently still Herbert’s coordinator for the time being, there’s one big problem that just surfaced before the weekend:

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

McDaniel is reportedly interviewing for the Bills’ head-coaching job Friday and perhaps into the weekend.

And Allen has a major role to play in the decision.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that Allen has sat in all of the meetings with head-coaching candidates during these sessions down in Florida.

Russini dropped this note on the process: “Buffalo is making sure their best player, team leader, and face of the franchise is part of the hiring process. Josh Allen will have significant say on the next coach of the Buffalo Bills.”

Tough scene for the Chargers when mapping out McDaniel’s options like this:

Serve as coordinator for Justin Herbert under Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers
Immediately land another head-coaching gig with Josh Allen as the franchise quarterback

Good as McDaniel and Josh Allen sound, the Bills have been something of a dramatic, public mess for the better part of a week now. They’re also interviewing names like Anthony Lynn and Anthony Weaver over the course of the weekend.

Which is to say, the Bills might not even pick McDaniel. It could be a glorified intel-gathering meeting to get an idea of how an innovative offensive mind might approach Allen, which they can then take and apply to their own coordinator search and offseason approach.

But if the Bills offer, McDaniel would be foolish not to accept.

Part of the reason Chargers fans were so hyped about McDaniel in the first place is the team’s other reported interviews, too. There aren’t a lot of great fallback plans if they have to reopen the interviewing process with candidates.

The Bills' interview process shifts to Pegula's winter residence in Florida today, with ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel in. In the interviews: The Pegulas, GM Brandon Beane, execs Brian Gaine and Terrance Gray, and QB Josh Allen.

The team's first 3 interviews were in Buffalo.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 23, 2026

Going from say, McDaniel to Arthur Smith, just doesn’t hit the same. When the next coordinator hire is so intimately tied to Herbert’s next critical few years as a pro, McDaniel was by far the most encouraging mind available.

Hence the Bills being interested for Allen, even if it’s just a momentary thing before they go another direction like Brian Daboll.

For now, Chargers fans don’t need to panic unless a report emerges that says they’re restarting the coordinator interview process. Either way, it could be a long weekend now that the Bills and Allen are in the mix.

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