Money & Mike McDaniel
January 20th, 2026

Raise The Flags documentary star and Buccaneers co-owner Joel Glazer, proud member of Team Glazer.

So how motivated by money is hot NFL offensive coordinator candidate/lukewarm head coach candidate Mike McDaniel?

It might not matter.

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported on the McDaniel contract extension following his first two seasons as Miami head coach. McDaniel got Miami in the playoffs in back-to-back years (2022 & 2023) and the Dolphins wanted to lock him down. So McDaniel got a new deal paying him through the 2028 season.

Of course, McDaniel was fired last week by Miami. That means Miami is paying him for three more seasons, per the report. As many NFL fans know, teams put “offset language” in contracts to prevent coaches from double-dipping. So if Miami is due to pay McDaniel $6 million annually over the next three years, for example, then they only have to pay McDaniel $6 million per year minus whatever he would be earning from a new team.

A year ago, credible reports claimed the Raiders broke the bank for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to become the Las Vegas playcaller at $6 million annually. Allegedly, that was a new high for an NFL assistant coach.

So what might McDaniel demand to be the Bucs’ offensive coordinator? A report today referred to him as “the favorite” for the job.

Is Team Glazer willing to throw Chip Kelly money around? Will they have to go much higher than that given there apparently is competition for McDaniel?

The terms of Todd Bowles’ head coach salary have never been reported. However, Bowles did tell Joe last year at the NFL Scouting Combine that Team Glazer tore up his prior contract rather than just adding years to his original head coach contract. Bowles’ extension is through the 2028 season.

Is there a chance McDaniel could earn more than Bowles this year as Bucs offensive coordinator? That might be what it takes to get McDaniel. And that certainly would tell fans the Bucs are all-in for 2026.

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