It feels like a good time to be in the market for an offensive coordinator in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs are watching their current OC, Matt Nagy, interview for multiple head coaching jobs these days, and even if he fails to secure a single one, he's likely still out the door with an expiring contract and an eye to see what else is on the horizon. That major opening should be an attractive one for potential candidates, and the choices on the open market are looking a bit better by the day.
The latest entrant comes courtesy of the Miami Dolphins after the franchise made the decision to fire head coach Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins were the latest team to abandon their head coach in the hopes of finding future success under new leadership. They were reportedly already inquiring about potential head coaches with McDaniel still under contract, so it's clear they liked their chances as the coaching carousel spins in earnest.
While McDaniel's tenure in Miami didn't go as planned, there's no denying his reputation as a creative offensive mind who warranted a head coaching opportunity at such a young age (39) in the first place due to his work with the San Francisco 49ers.
Mike McDaniels' addition to the mix of available coaches makes for a pretty rich group of options for the Kansas City Chiefs for offensive coordinator.
It's possible that other teams hungry for a head coach will give McDaniel the chance to remain at the same level with a lateral move. Kevin Stefanski is hoping for the same treatment after being canned by the Cleveland Browns. John Harbaugh is undoubtedly going to get that option after being fired by the Baltimore Ravens.
McDaniel's stint in Miami wasn't so egregious that he shouldn't earn such looks. He finished with a winning record at 35-33 overall and never won less than 7 games in any of his four seasons on the sideline. It's also not as if former Dolphins general manager Chris Grier did him any real favors on the personnel side.
But if McDaniel has to take a step back, the Chiefs might offer an ideal place to land. Patrick Mahomes is injured but could very well be ready to play in Week 1 after a torn ACL halted his season with three games to play. The chance to work with the best quarterback in the game should be enough to woo any potential hire, but the Chiefs' dynastic success—at least before the '25 campaign—also works in their favor.
The truth is that anyone who lands next to Andy Reid stands a good chance of rehabilitating their image in short order. If McDaniel or Kliff Kingsbury or any other potential coordinator wants a quick pipeline to head coaching consideration, working with the Chiefs offense could be the quick path to get there. And that's great news for the Chiefs, who now have an even stronger pool of possible coaching candidates to interview.