The Chargers received a positive update in regards to projected OC Mike McDaniel's head coaching possibilities. McDaniel was supposed to interview in Florida for the Bills HC job on Friday. It was reportedly going to be an in-person interview. Other candidates scheduled to interview over the weekend include Anthony Lynn, Anthony Weaver, and Grant Udinski. The Bills formally spoke to QB Philip Rivers about their vacancy yesterday.
McDaniel reportedly canceled his interview with Buffalo and the two sides never met on Friday. This was reported by both Jordan Schultz and The Athletic's Dianna Russini. Russini also reported that McDaniel remains in the mix for the Raiders' HC vacancy, but is still expected to become Chargers OC should he not get the job in Las Vegas.
The Mike McDaniel roller coaster seems to be approaching an end for the Chargers.
The Chargers are not out of the woods yet. But McDaniel not interviewing with the Bills has to be seen as a positive sign for the Bolts. After the two sides met earlier in the week, the former Dolphins HC also canceled an interview in Cleveland.
While the McDaniel saga rolls on, the Chargers don't formally have an offensive or defensive coordinator under contract. Los Angeles has spent the week interviewing names for their DC vacancy in the wake of Jesse Minter taking the Ravens HC job. Ravens DC Zach Orr and Titans DC Dennard Wilson interviewed with the team externally. Rams defensive passing game coordinator and assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant has also been reportedly requested to interview.
The Chargers have not reopened the offensive coordinator interview process even as McDaniel considers head coaching vacancies around the league. While fans may be concerned about that in the scenario where McDaniel does decide to leave for a HC job, Los Angeles standing pat can also be seen as a sign of confidence that he will eventually be their offensive coordinator.
It's been a wild two weeks since the Chargers have fired OC Greg Roman. They have (almost) hired McDaniel for their OC job and lost DC Jesse Minter. Adding to the complexity of this coaching cycle is just how many jobs are available around the league. 10 teams will have replaced their head coaches by the time this stage of the offseason is over. That is also what complicates the timeline of McDaniel ultimately putting pen to paper with the Chargers.
Canceling the Bills interview has to be seen as a positive sign for the Chargers. An announcement of a formal signing by the team may not be immediate, but we are seemingly approaching the end of a somewhat stressful McDaniel storyline.