NFC Team Contacts Ex-Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel For Open OC Gig

The ex-Dolphins coach appears to already have a market.

McDaniel was fired by the Dolphins this week. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel hasn’t even been out of a job a full day, but he appears to already have interest from an NFL suitor.

The Lions have contacted McDaniel regarding their open offensive coordinator position, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

McDaniel, 42, served as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in 2021. San Francisco’s offensive improvement that year—it jumped eight spots in both scoring and total offense—helped land the coach his gig with Miami.

As the coach of the Dolphins, McDaniel piloted Miami to winning seasons in 2022 and 2023 before regressing in both 2024 and 2025. A 7-10 showing in ‘25 led the Dolphins to clean house this offseason; Miami is looking for a new general manager and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has intimated interest in playing elsewhere in 2026 after being benched during the season.

Detroit, which seemed never to quite recover from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s departure for the Bears in the offseason, finished 9-8 and sacked offensive coordinator John Morton on Tuesday.

“I love (Lions coach) Dan Campbell and his approach. It's very authentic,” McDaniel said in August via Nick Shook of Around the NFL.

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