Mike McDaniel reportedly cancelled a scheduled interview with the Buffalo Bills over the weekend. While he has a deal in place to become the next Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator, he’s reportedly kept his hat in the ring to potentially be hired as a head coach this offseason.
But as Albert Breer of SI.com reported, “word was that McDaniel may have felt a little uneasy about interviewing for the Bills’ job so soon after taking the Chargers’ offensive coordinator job.”
McDaniel also backed out of a second interview with the Cleveland Browns, so it appears he’s trending toward sticking with the Chargers, though the Las Vegas Raiders still have a vacancy at head coach and could be a possibility.
The 42-year-old was 35-33 in four years as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, leading the team to a pair of playoff appearances. But there was also plenty of reporting from his time in Miami about the team’s issues with locker-room culture, and it’s possible McDaniel simply wants a year away from the politics of operating as the head coach. A year as Jim Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator could give him the chance to reset and evaluate the coaching opportunities a year from now.