The Los Angeles Chargers went one and done in the playoffs this year, mostly thanks to a bottom-tier offensive line, but quarterback Justin Herbert has also played quite poorly in the postseason and should shoulder some of the blame here.
After back-to-back 11-6 seasons under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have become a respectable, consistent team. LA is actually 3-1 against the Denver Broncos in the Sean Payton era, so this is a team that has been able to figure out Denver in recent years. Well, after firing Greg Roman, their former offensive coordinator, the Chargers ended up hiring Mike McDaniel, who was arguably the top OC name on the market.
This actually isn't great for Denver, as Los Angeles' offense could really takeoff in 2026, as it was an OK unit in 2025. With McDaniel's success history as an offensive mind, the Broncos may have just seen the Chargers get a lot stronger, but in the long run, this move could come back to bite the Chargers.
Mike McDaniel could find himself back in the head coaching ranks after the 2026 season
McDaniel had a mostly-successful four-year tenure as the Miami Dolphins head coach, going 35-33 and making the playoffs two times. He went 9-8 and 11-6 across his first two seasons on the job.
He was let go after a 7-10 season this year, but that ended up being the fewest wins he finished with in any of his four seasons. Dating back to his time with the San Francisco 49ers as their offensive coordinator in 2021, his offenses have ranked 13th, 11th, 2nd, 22nd, and 25th in points scored, but Miami obviously had major QB issues these past two seasons.
He was able to field two top-10 rushing offenses and two top-5 passing offenses as well. He is a very sharp offensive mind and could have the Los Angeles Chargers putting up a ton of points in 2026, which could hurt the Broncos' chances at repeating in the AFC West.
However, there is a very real possibility that McDaniel does well enough as the Chargers' OC in 2026 that he'd get his pick for whatever head coaching vacancy he could want in 2027. McDaniel was interviewing for head coaching jobs this cycle, so he was put into consideration.
The Chargers may have to deal with their OC leaving after just one season, as with Justin Herbert, a capable QB, he'll field an efficient offenses, and teams will look at that and also consider his successful head coaching stint.
In the long run, hiring Mike McDaniel might actually hurt the Chargers.