49ers' Mike McDaniel, Dolphins Agree to HC Contract as Brian Flores' Replacement

The Miami Dolphins agreed to terms on a deal to make San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel their next head coach Sunday.

Adam Schefter of ESPN, who broke the news that a deal was in the works, reported McDaniel signed a four-year contract.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network provided more details:

The Dolphins chose McDaniel to replace Brian Flores, who was fired on Jan. 10 despite posting a 19-14 record in his last two seasons.

Although Miami didn't make the playoffs under the 40-year-old, he did lead the team to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003.

That led to speculation as to why Flores was fired after three years despite being a well-respected coach among many of the players.

Per Rapoport, there was "frustration and tension" between general manager Chris Grier and Flores:

Ultimately, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross decided to stick with Grier.

Flores is now suing the Dolphins, the NFL and the rest of the league's 31 teams in a class-action lawsuit, citing racist and discriminatory hiring practices within the league for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions.

The Dolphins interviewed numerous candidates but ultimately settled on a pair of finalists in McDaniel and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, per Rapoport.

McDaniel reportedly interviewed with the Dolphins for 10 hours on Friday, per Peter Schrager of Fox Sports. Moore spoke with Miami on Saturday.

Now the Dolphins turn to McDaniel, who will be the team's eighth head coach in 20 years.

Pelissero reported Tuesday that Miami put in a request to interview the 38-year-old, who was the 49ers' run game coordinator from 2017-20 before receiving a promotion to offensive coordinator for 2021.

McDaniel's resume also included two years as an offensive assistant under ex-Falcons offensive coordinator (and current 49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan in 2015-2016.

He worked with wide receivers for the Washington Football Team (2013) and Cleveland Browns (2014), among other stops in an NFL career that began in 2005 as a Denver Broncos intern.

The 49ers' rushing attack finished 18th, 14th, eighth and 17th in yards per carry during McDaniel's four seasons as the run game coordinator. This year's offense finished 13th in points per game.

Shanahan and McDaniel collaborated to find creative ways for their best players to touch the ball. For example, Deebo Samuel finished the year with 1,770 total yards (1,405 rushing, 365 receiving) and 14 touchdowns. He recorded 59 carries and eight scores on the ground.

Ultimately, the 49ers seemingly get the most out of their offensive talents, as was the case when San Francisco made the Super Bowl two years ago.

Now McDaniel will be tasked with doing the same in Miami. His relationship with third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be crucial as the team looks to rebound from finishing just No. 22 in scoring.

Ultimately, McDaniel is coming into Miami as an offensive guru, and the Dolphins hope he can rectify a unit that hasn't finished top six in the NFL in scoring since 1994.