After a disappointing showing by quarterback Jared Goff and the offense this season, the Detroit Lions are hoping to find an upgrade at offensive coordinator this offseason. The Lions thought that OC John Morton would be the answer, but he proved that wasn't the case when head coach Dan Campbell took Morton's play-calling duties away mid-season.
If you asked most Lions fans who they would want to be the offensive coordinator in 2026, the first name on the list would be Mike McDaniel. McDaniel was fired earlier this month after four seasons as the Miami Dolphins' head coach, instantly making him someone who most NFL teams would be happy to hire for any role.
Although things didn’t work out in Miami in the end, fans across the league were astounded to see the points that the Dolphins were able to score in his tenure, along with the creativity he brought to get his playmakers open in space.
Detroit has multiple playmakers at the skill positions, making this an ideal fit for McDaniel. That said, the Lions aren’t the only team that wants to bring McDonald in, either as an offensive coordinator or head coach.
Lions Aren’t a Shoe-In to Bring Aboard Mike McDaniel as OC in 2026
Just this week, McDaniel has already interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching vacancies. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Turron Davenport reported that the Tennessee Titans have McDaniel in their facility, as they’re also looking for a new head coach.
In addition to those completed interviews, McDaniel is also reportedly scheduled to speak with the Baltimore Ravens for their HC vacancy. This doesn’t even include the Pittsburgh Steelers, who now have a head coach opening with Mike Tomlin stepping down.
And when it comes to offensive coordinator vacancies, McDaniel is scheduled to interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later this week, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Meanwhile, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that McDaniel is at the top of the Eagles’ list for their offensive coordinator opening.
Simply put, the former Dolphins head coach will have his pick on where he wants to go at this rate and what he wants to do next season. Lions fans hope that McDaniel takes the OC route, as it could give them a leg up over the Buccaneers and Eagles.
However, there’s no reason why he should settle for that spot, especially if the right opportunity comes along to be a head coach. In fact, ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicts that McDaniel will be the Browns' next head coach.
With all that being said, the Lions need to have a couple of backup plans ready. We know they reportedly scheduled an interview with Mike Kafka and requested an interview with Jake Peetz. Those two names will not excite the fanbase, which means the Lions need to start expanding their search sooner rather than later.