Vikings Offensive Coordinator Dream Dies

From the moment Mike McDaniel’s head coaching job started to look shaky in Miami, Minnesota Vikings fans daydreamed about what a partnership with Kevin O’Connell in the Twin Cities might look like. For 2026 purposes, that dream is kaput, as McDaniel signed on with the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday.

Minnesota’s brief fan-inspired McDaniel buzz ended fast, and the most realistic path now points back to Wes Phillips staying in place.

Jim Harbaugh snatched McDaniel from the open market, and for at least one season, he’ll help the Chargers’ offense strive for new heights.

Minnesota’s Would-Be Coordinator Board Shrinks

Cross McDaniel off the Vikings’ perhaps nonexistent offensive coordinator list.

Chargers Ink McDaniel

McDaniel heads west after four years in Miami. ESPN’s Kris Rhim wrote Tuesday, “The Chargers are expected to hire former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as the team’s new offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington on Tuesday night. McDaniel had interviewed for multiple head coaching and offensive coordinator positions since the Dolphins fired him last week.”

“The Buccaneers and Eagles pursued him as their top offensive coordinator target, with Tampa Bay especially diligent in its courtship, sources told Darlington. However, the lure of getting back to California, where he spent years with the San Francisco 49ers, and the chance to coach talented quarterback Justin Herbert helped inform McDaniel’s final decision, and barring a change of heart, he will join coach Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles.”

Herbert and the Chargers have a reputation for collapsing in the postseason. Now, McDaniel is in the house to help fix that evil.

A Fan Flirtation

McDaniel was never realistically anywhere near the Vikings’ orbit, but the fan whispers were real.

The Dolphins’ 2025 season spiraled down the toilet around the time the Vikings followed an initial similar pattern, and for a couple of months, some thought, “Maybe McDaniel will get fired and then the Vikings will hire him as the 2026 offensive coordinator.”

The first part of that theory played out; Miami terminated McDaniel a few days after the end of the regular season. McDaniel then accepted a few head coaching interviews, a couple of OC discussions, and landed with Harbaugh in Los Angeles.

The working theory was that O’Connell would surrender playcalling and let McDaniel run the show on offense. O’Connell and McDaniel come from the same Shanahan + Jay Gruden coaching circle. The idea wasn’t very probable, and alas, it did not happen.

Minnesota might’ve also dodged a bullet regarding McDaniel. The Detroit Lions also explored his OC candidacy. Vikings Wire‘s Cole Smith wrote last week, “The Lions could be in line to land one of the hottest names on the coaching market right now. Last week, Ian Rapaport reported that Detroit reached out to former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel for their offensive coordinator job.”

That didn’t quite work out for Detroit. The Lions hired former Vikings coach Drew Petzing this week.

Probably More Wes Phillips on the Way

So, if it’s not McDaniel, what’s next for the Vikings at offensive coordinator? Probably nothing.

Minnesota extended Wes Phillips’ contract last summer, and he’s run the show in his role since the start of 2022, the dawn of the O’Connell era. While offensive line coach Chris Kuper is out, and the team is conducting a search for his replacement, that might be the extent of coaching staff changes on offense. The buck stops with O’Connell on offense, as it did with Mike Zimmer and the defense from 2014 to 2021, and offloading Phillips may not mean much, even if it happened.

On defense, the Vikings could be looking at change. Other NFL teams are currently interviewing defensive coordinator Brian Flores and defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones for promotions. One or both face a strong chance of leaving.

How to Fix the Vikings’ Offense?

The Vikings’ offense — without McDaniel — needs two things: a) Efficient quarterback play b) Commitment to running the football.

In 2025, the quarterback combination of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Bromser swung and missed. O’Connell must figure out this offseason how to ensure his quarterback room does not rank near the bottom of the NFL in 2026. If he can whisk the production to average or better, his team will likely visit the postseason in 2026.

And on running the ball, O’Connell just has to do it. As his quarterbacks’ performance struggled mightily through 12 games of 2025, the skipper continued to throw the ball at a Top 10 clip, which just didn’t make sense because when the quarterbacks are not very good, a team should rely on its run game. The Vikings didn’t get that memo until December.

It’s also worth noting on McDaniel that if the Vikings’ current coaching staff goes down in flames in 2026, he’ll become a head coaching candidate in Minnesota, at least in the rumor mill, before you know it.

McDaniel compiled a record 35-33 (.514) in four seasons. He was the guy who replaced the aforementioned Flores in Miami.