Mike McDaniel has turned down another interview.
The former Dolphins coach did not meet with the Bills on Friday as expected to interview for their head coaching vacancy, according to The Athletic.
McDaniel previously backed out of an interview with the Browns, and it seems his only path to a head coaching job now is with the Raiders.
Should he not land the Raiders’ gig, McDaniel is set to join the Chargers as their offensive coordinator, though that contract has not been finalized, per The Athletic.
It’s been a whirlwind week for McDaniel in his search for employment after being fired by the Dolphins after his fourth season with the team.
He’s been interviewing for both coordinator and head coaching opportunities, yet it seemed he had decided to lead the Chargers’ offense rather than hold out for one of the five openings.
News then leaked Friday that McDaniel would be interviewing with the Bills, whose vacancy only opened Monday after they moved on from Sean McDermott.
The sides had been slated to meet in Florida before McDaniel nixed those plans.
With McDaniel removing himself from the Browns and Bills searches, and having not interviewed with the Steelers and Cardinals, it leaves just the Raiders as his chance to be a head coach in 2026.
He previously interviewed with the team.
McDaniel would make sense for an organization with the No. 1 pick that is expected to land Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, in addition to two talented young offensive stars in 2024 first-round tight end Brock Bowers and 2025 first-round running back Ashton Jeanty.
Of course, leading a Chargers offense with Justin Herbert to help build his stock for a potential 2026 head coaching opportunity is a strong fallback plan.
The Bills’ now-smaller candidate pool still includes former Giants coach Brian Daboll, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and surprise candidate Philip Rivers, who played for the Colts this season.
