How Mike McDaniel Would Impact Justin Herbert as Chargers OC on Harbaugh Staff Amid Contract Rumors

As Justin Herbert looks to continue his rise to stardom, he'll have a new offensive coordinator in 2026.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chargers are hiring former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to take over as offensive coordinator. McDaniel worked with Tua Tagovailoa, the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and he'll now work with the No. 6 pick, Herbert, in Los Angeles.

McDaniel, 42, was the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers before his time in Miami, where he helped lead the team to a top-10 offense and an NFC championship appearance.

McDaniel's time with the Dolphins was mostly unremarkable, as he led the team to the playoffs twice but never made it out of the wild card round. Miami missed the postseason in each of the last two years and finished the 2025 campaign 7-10.

While McDaniel didn't thrive as a head coach, he did put together some strong offenses. In 2023, the Dolphins led the NFL in yards per game (401.3) and posted the second-most points per game (29.2). Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards that season (4,624) and star receiver Tyreek Hill led the NFL in receiving yards (1,799).

The Chargers are hoping McDaniel can bring that kind of offensive success to Los Angeles.

The Chargers ranked 12th in yards per game (333.8) and 20th in points per game (21.6) this season, so there's clearly room for growth. The team fired Greg Roman as offensive coordinator last week.

Despite the mixed success from the offensive overall, Herbert managed to put together another strong season, throwing for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 498 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.