Mike McDaniel's arrival in Los Angeles is the "fresh start" Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh wanted for his offense after a winless playoff appearance in 2025.
Despite the 42-year-old offensive mind having opportunities to remain a head coach in the NFL, McDaniel indicated Tuesday at his introductory press conference that a new beginning was a mutual feeling, and working with Harbaugh was a circumstance "too good to pass up."
"There was a lot that I found very attractive," McDaniel said of becoming the Chargers' new offensive coordinator. "You know, I was very fortunate to have some opportunities. But I think it started with coach Harbaugh. Then to be a part of an organization that has a legacy, talking about Sid (Gillman) and 'Air Coryell' -- that's super attractive, too. Got a quarterback who I have always admired, and just a lot of young players. Great situation for me and my family to go to the next chapter, which we're very excited about."
Donning a chic brown leather jacket with both collars propped up high, McDaniel exuded the vibe of someone ready to rekindle the organization's famous offensive past.
He has plenty to work with in L.A., with Justin Herbert headlining an offense that has underwhelmed in recent seasons. However, the Chargers quarterback has proven himself capable of leading a powerful offense, and McDaniel said he recognized Herbert's hunger to meet or exceed those expectations.
"He was in high spirits and just excited about attacking something," McDaniel said of his initial conversation with Herbert. "You lose in the playoffs in the first round, it's a lot of work that you feel kind of like you have an empty stomach. So that hunger, I could hear in his voice. He was excited to start a new chapter, and to really tackle the process of the offseason to be our best versions of ourselves come next fall. So it was enthusiastic. I was in a room talking with a really loud, inside voice out of passion, and I think he recognized that we were both geeked for the future and the possibilities that it brings."
Herbert earned his second Pro Bowl honor in 2025 after carrying the Chargers offense along an injury-laden campaign. He lost both his starting offensive tackles by midseason and played through a broken left hand that required surgery in late November. He didn't miss a meaningful start despite the adversity, producing 3,727 passing yards, 28 total touchdowns and a 94.1 passer rating while earning the Bolts a postseason berth after 11 wins in the regular season.
A three-point showing in the Wild Card Round quickly ended the Chargers' playoff run and Greg Roman's firing as OC followed. McDaniel indicated that the best has yet to come from Herbert, who emerged in his second season with 5,014 passing yards and 38 TDs in 2021.
"I think you have a competitive player that each and every year is trying to get better in his craft," McDaniel said of Herbert. "I think he hasn't scratched or hasn't neared the ceiling to what he's capable of. He can make every throw, but as a competitor, you can tell he enjoys what the National Football League and franchise quarterback -- he enjoys all the burden that is the responsibility of touching the ball every play, then to need to be your best and when your best is required. That's something that I'm always looking for, and players in general, how they perform post halftime, and there's a lot that we can be capable of here with him leading the charge."
With Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt expected to be ready in 2026, the protection issues Herbert faced last season figure to be greatly improved. Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston represent a young receiving corps currently under contract, with veteran Keenan Allen set to become a free agent this offseason. Running back Omarion Hampton and tight end Oronde Gadsden II provided a promising outlook during their rookie campaigns in 2025.
McDaniel is looking forward to putting it all together.
"I think it's a really cool opportunity because I think the best offenses cater to the players that they have, the existing skill sets and evolve to what their talents are," he said. "I think we have a lot of young players at the skill positions, particularly, got two great tackles coming back, and I think with a skill set such as Justin's, you can do a lot of things on the ground and in the air that can really put defenses in bind. So, I think there's a lot of tools in place.
"I think it's important to have a good offseason, which we plan to do. And, you know, I think what you're working with is something that will be unique to its own. I'm excited to see where the offense goes and how it evolves through the skill sets of these players, and what I think the biggest thing is we want to create a system of offense where guys can really feature their skill sets, evolve their game, and be their best in December and January, which is the whole point when you're playing elimination games."
McDaniel's rise in the NFL coaching ranks began in San Francisco as an OC and culminated in Miami, where he spent the last four seasons as Dolphins head coach. Implementing his high-flying offense, which saw the emergence of Tua Tagovailoa, McDaniel earned two playoff appearances in his first two seasons at the helm, but that momentum dissipated in 2024 and 2025 for several reasons, injuries being the most glaring culprit.
McDaniel said that returning to an OC role in L.A. hasn't ended his hopes of becoming a successful head coach in the NFL again, adding that he wanted to be part of "a hungry organization with like-minded football people." Working with Harbaugh seems to have ultimately swayed his decision.
"The opportunity to work with coach Harbaugh, that was too good to pass up," McDaniel said. "It felt like I was extremely fortunate to be afforded this opportunity, and it felt something that I could easily get behind in terms of ambition to go attack the next thing."
McDaniel sees his skill set as an offensive play-caller working well with Harbaugh's run-first mindset, and the new Chargers OC sees room to add his own flavor into the mix -- a coordinated effort the entire organization hopes will get the Chargers over an ongoing losing streak in the postseason.
"Well, you know, he likes to run the ball and I am, you know, by trade, I spent a good portion of my career being in charge of the run game and being a run game coordinator," McDaniel said. "I think that you're always playing to your skill sets, and each team that you're on has a different array of them. I think some of my run game prowess in the past has been finding different solutions for light boxes when you're adept to pass to run the ball. That core foundational belief of football's inside out, and prioritizing the line of scrimmage play, and being able to, you know, win games when you have a lead with nine minutes to go in the game, and you can keep the defense off the field.
"I think those types of things, that's where the like-minded, football 101 core values of football kind of overlap. I think Jim appreciates the evolution of the game and different ways that you can try to attack how people are defending you, and that's always evolving. And that that hunger and thirst for that is something that I've always had in my back pocket, pushing me forward."
