Kansas City’s 2026 Hill Got Steeper for 2 Reasons in Last 48 Hours

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mike McDaniel had head-coach interviews he left on the table.

On Tuesday night, he chose to join Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert as the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator, according to Tom Pelissero.

tua, mcdanie — Jan 13, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) speaks with head coach Mike McDaniel during the first half of the 2024 AFC wild card game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

McDaniel turned down Cleveland ... for head coach

Atlanta, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Cleveland all interviewed McDaniel for head-coach vacancies. The Browns were believed to be strongly considering McDaniel until he withdrew from consideration earlier in the day Tuesday.

McDaniel, 42, also interviewed with Dan Campbell in Detroit and Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay for their offensive-coordinator roles. In the end, he chose the AFC West.

Silver lining for Chiefs

The only good news for the Chiefs is that if McDaniel does well with Herbert and the Chargers, he’ll likely become a head coach at another team in 2027.

The Chargers in 2025 swept the Chiefs for the first time since Reid’s first year in Kansas City, 2013. The Chiefs finished 6-11, their first losing season since 2012, the year before Reid arrived.

reid, harbaug — Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid shakes hands with Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh after the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

McDaniel’s arrival adds to an already difficult Chiefs schedule in 2026. Next season, the Chiefs are one of three NFL teams slated to play all four conference finalists playing this Sunday (New England, Seattle, the L.A. Rams and two dates against Denver). The Chargers and Raiders are the other teams with that 2026 distinction.

No team in the league had to do that in 2025 and just one club over the last three seasons has had to do it, the 2024 Buccaneers.

At one point, before the Chiefs tabbed Eric Bieniemy to return as offensive coordinator in Kansas City, McDaniel was thought to be a candidate as an OC for Andy Reid.

Had Reid moved in that direction, he likely would’ve delegated more than 51 percent of his offensive playcalling responsibilities. But the move also would’ve opened up Patrick Mahomes and the offense to radical new ideas from one of the league’s best offensive masterminds.

Some thought the only way McDaniel would’ve come to a place like Kansas City was with the nod that he’d be in line to replace Reid as the next Chiefs head coach.

Fired by the Dolphins on Jan. 8 following a 7-10 finish, McDaniel was the top offensive-coordinator candidate on the market. In a unique position to be able to turn down head-coach prospects in favor of an offensive-coordinator job, McDaniel weighed his options and settled on the Chargers, who swept Kansas City in 2025.

Raiders to draft franchise quarterback

His hiring combined with Fernando Mendoza and Indiana winning the national championship on Monday night were a double-whammy for the Chiefs.

Four of their 2026 games now are expected to come against Mendoza – the Raiders’ likely No. 1 overall selection – and McDaniel. Mendoza just led the Hoosiers to college football’s first 16-0 season since the 1894 Yale Bulldogs.

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