Chargers’ OC Mike McDaniel’s NFL coaching carousel, could Robert Saleh be the blueprint?

New Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel made a difficult, yet calculated decision earlier this week when he chose to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff and mentor star quarterback Justin Herbert. 

After being fired by the Miami Dolphins earlier this month, McDaniel had options to return as a head coach or go back to being a coordinator, and after he stepped back from his decision, he made a choice that felt almost rebellious in a league addicted to impatience. 

Head coaching interviews with the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders. Coordinator interviews with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The familiar NFL carousel was spinning fast enough to make a man dizzy. Instead, he stepped off. He chose the Los Angeles Chargers. He chose Justin Herbert. He chose a coordinator’s headset over another head coach’s office.

And in doing so, McDaniel may be following a path already cleared by an old friend.

Robert Saleh knows this road too, in fact, he helped build it.

Once upon a time in Santa Clara, McDaniel and Saleh were two sides of the same brilliant coin. From 2017 to 2021, they were the offensive and defensive brains behind Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers, crafting a culture that peaked with a 13–3 season and a Super Bowl LIV appearance in 2019. They were young, sharp, and fearless. The league noticed. Head coaching jobs followed. Miami for McDaniel. New York for Saleh.

Saleh’s Jets tenure never stabilized, undone by quarterback chaos, injuries, and a franchise that eats its own. A 20–36 record later, he was out. Fired after a loss in London last October. But Saleh didn’t sulk or feel sorry for himself. Instead, he went home.  

Back in San Francisco as defensive coordinator in 2025, Saleh rebuilt his reputation the old-fashioned way: results. Even with an injury-ravaged roster, his defense snarled, adapted, and competed. NFL decision-makers noticed again. This week, the Tennessee Titans handed him a five-year deal to lead their franchise.

And that’s the blueprint that McDaniel must follow: Fall. Reset. Dominate. Rise again. 

His decision to take the Chargers’ offensive coordinator job wasn’t born of desperation. Quite the opposite. He turned down interviews. Backed out of others. The Browns. The Bills. The noise. He listened to his gut, flew to Los Angeles, and felt something click. Jim Harbaugh didn’t sell him. He didn’t have to. The pitch was authenticity, ambition, and a quarterback McDaniel has long admired. Oh, and moving his wife and daughter to the Southern California sunshine didn’t hurt either. 

“You just want to be a part of a hungry organization with like-minded football people that are doing anything and everything to win,” McDaniel said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “Those things, coupled with the spirited attitude of my daughter and my wife, made things pretty easy as a girl dad and a husband to have your family in a place where they can get behind too.”

Make no mistake about it, Justin Herbert is the draw for McDaniel. If not for a disappointing season from Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, McDaniel might still be the coach in Miami. Herbert is the reason that McDaniel made a calculated move to go back to being a coordinator. He maximized the success in Miami, but now he gets Herbert’s arm, Harbaugh’s structure, and a franchise ready to take the next step in January. 

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“Got a quarterback [Justin Herbert] who I’ve always admired,” McDaniel said.. “A lot of young players, great situation for me and my family to go to the next chapter, which we’re very excited about.”

If the Chargers’ offense explodes in 2026, the league won’t frame McDaniel as a fired coach taking a step back. They’ll see him as a recalibrated one who chose patience over panic. The head coaching opportunities will be there. 

Most NFL head coaches get two chances to lead. McDaniel knows that. Tennessee might be Saleh’s final stop. That’s why this next season matters. That’s why McDaniel’s choice matters. 

Because sometimes the smartest move forward is the one that looks like a step back — until it isn’t.