McDaniel Voluntarily Eliminates One Possible Option for 2026

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is getting a lot of interviews around the league

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel looks on during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There remain a lot of possibilities for former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and his coaching status for 2026, but the Cleveland Browns won't be one of them.

McDaniel has informed the Browns he no longer wants to be considered for their head coach opening, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The Browns have been looking for a head coach firing Kevin Stefanski, who since has accepted the same position with the Tennessee Titans.

Another opportunity for McDaniel disappeared when the Detroit Lions hired Drew Petzing from the Arizona Cardinals to become their new offensive coordinator and the Tennessee Titans hired 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh — McDaniel's former colleague in San Francisco — as head coach.

Those were among the nine opportunities that were present for McDaniel at the start of the hiring cycle, and he's now down to five. We had ranked the Cleveland opening at the bottom of the nine options.

That number easily could go back up because it's pretty easy to envision Saleh asking McDaniel to join his staff as offensive coordinator if he doesn't land a head coaching job.

McDaniel was in Los Angeles on Tuesday interviewing for the Chargers' offensive coordinator position after interviewing for the Las Vegas Raiders head coach opening Monday.

McDaniel's other remaining possibilities — based on his previous and upcoming interviews — include Baltimore Ravens head coach, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.

Landing the Las Vegas head coach position would put McDaniel in position to coach Fernando Mendoza, who's widely expected to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft along with 2025 fifth overall pick Ashton Jeanty — along with working with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, who also will be in Miami for the national title game.

With the Chargers, what stands out obviously would be McDaniel moving on from working with Tua Tagovailoa to working with Justin Herbert, the quarterback selected right after him in the 2020 draft.

RANKING THE McDANIEL POSSIBILITIES

As we update this ranking, a reminder that money shouldn't be a factor for McDaniel, who will be getting paid by the Dolphins for three more years under terms of his contract minus whatever his new team pays him.

And while head coach usually is the better option than being a coordinator, this is not always the case.

So with that said, here we go:

1. Baltimore Ravens HC — There are so many reasons this stands out, starting with a strong organization, the presence of Lamar Jackson, talent up and down the roster and a pretty mediocre division. This should be a no-brainer for McDaniel if he's offered the position.

2. Los Angeles Chargers OC — While the Chargers had perhaps the worst offensive line in the NFL in 2025, the potential for great improvement there is present with the expected return of star tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. The Chargers have a promising running with Omarion Hampton and soe solid wide receivers with Ladd McConkey, Quinton Johnston and Tre Harris, and of course McDaniel might enjoy working with a quarterback who has all the physical traits a coordinator could want.

3. Philadelphia Eagles OC — The Eagles have been to the Super Bowl twice in the past four seasons and even in a somewhat down year in 2025 they repeated as NFC East champions. McDaniel would inherit a great offensive line, a star running back in Saquon Barkley, plus at least one stud wide receiver DeVonta Smith (or two depending on whether the Eagles keep A.J. Brown). The NFC East also isn't very impressive, even after the New York Giants' splashy hiring of John Harbaugh.

4. Tampa Bay Bucs OC — The Bucs had a very disappointing season, but let's not forget they had won the NFC South the previous four seasons and they dealt with a lot of injuries. There's an awful lot of talent on offense, even if star WR Mike Evans winds up retiring, and the NFC South (as mentioned before) isn't particularly daunting.

5. Tennessee Titans OC — McDaniel has yet to interview for this position, but it's just too obvious to ignore because of his connection with Saleh. The appeal here for McDaniel is working with 2025 first overall pick Cam Ward, who absolutely looked like a franchise quarterback as a rookie despite poor stats.

6. Las Vegas Raiders HC — Yes, the Raiders have the first overall pick and have Tom Brady as a minority owner, but this is an organization that has struggled mightily for years and plays in a division that's going to be very difficult to navigate in 2026 if the Kansas City Chiefs bounce back from their rare disappointing season.

WHERE DOLPHINS HEAD COACH WENT AFTER LEAVING

George Wilson (1966-69) — Didn't coach again

Don Shula (1970-95) — Retired

Jimmy Johnson (1996-99) — Retired

Dave Wannstedt (2000-04) — Head coach, University of Pittsburgh

Nick Saban (2005-06) — Head coach, University of Alabama

Cam Cameron (2007) — Offensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens

Tony Sparano (2008-11) — Offensive coordinator, New York Jets

Joe Philbin (2012-15) — Assistant head coach/offensive line coach, Indianapolis Colts

Adam Gase (2016-18) — Head coach, New York Jets

Brian Flores (2019-21) — Senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike McDaniel (2022-25) — TBD