Does Mike McDaniel taking a HC interview change your opinion of him?

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It’s no secret that the most popular offensive coordinator candidate for the Detroit Lions job was former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. It’s easy to understand, too. For a couple of years, he had one of the most innovative offenses in football, and given his history making speedsters All-Pro players, you could only imagine what he could do with weapons like Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams.

But the Lions chose Drew Petzing, and the McDaniel chose to be the next Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator.

… or did he?

On Friday, it was revealed that McDaniel will still interview for the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching job.

The Bills are interviewing new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel for their head coaching job today, per source. McDaniel, of course, spent the last four years in the AFC East as Dolphins head coach.

McDaniel will be Jim Harbaugh’s OC if he doesn’t land an HC job.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 23, 2026

It’s unclear how serious of a candidate McDaniel is for the Bills job, but if he takes it, it would obviously be a pretty tough setback for a Chargers team that thought they had their guy.

UPDATE: Just as this was published, news broke that McDaniel did not end up interviewing with the Bills, but he is still a candidate for the Raiders vacancy:

Update: Mike McDaniel pulled out of his scheduled meeting down in Florida with the Bills yesterday, I’m told, and the two sides never met.

McDaniel remains in contention for the Raiders’ head coaching job, but if he takes an OC position, it’s still expected to be with the… pic.twitter.com/9vH6eellLa

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 24, 2026

For some, this move will rub them the wrong way. Why agree to take a job if you’re still considering other jobs? You put the team in a tough spot, and it doesn’t look great for you. On the other hand, no paper has been signed yet, and it’s reasonable to explore bigger opportunities that arise.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Does McDaniel still taking a head coach interview change your mind about him as Lions OC?​

My answer: I wasn’t as in on McDaniel as a lot of people. I know his first two years were great, but it’s hard to completely ignore the last two seasons—much like it’s hard to ignore Petzing’s 2025 season despite a really strong 2024.

But McDaniel still seeking a head coaching job is a strong reminder that if the Lions had hired McDaniel, they probably wouldn’t have had him for long. Any sort of success with Detroit likely would have led to more head coaching opportunities next year, and likely another offensive coordinator search for the Lions. Would that be worth it for a year of McDaniel? Hard to say. On one hand, if he is truly the best candidate to give the Lions a shot at a Super Bowl, no one would complain about him leaving if he left with a ring. That said, if he brings a new system, requires a few months to figure it out, only for him to leave a few months later, that seems like it could be a big setback.

Ultimately, McDaniel’s decision to consider more jobs after agreeing to be an offensive coordinator doesn’t change my opinion of him much, but I wasn’t among the bigger McDaniel fans anyways.

How do you feel about McDaniel in retrospect now? Scroll down to the comment section and let us know!

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