Mike McDaniel is heading west after being fired as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach.

McDaniel is reportedly expected to become the Los Angeles Chargers’ next offensive coordinator, “barring a change of heart,” according to ESPN.

“McDaniel has informed other teams that they’re out, the Chargers clearly want him, and the two sides are having dinner tonight,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday night. “But the expectation across the league is that McDaniel will be staying in LA.”

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The Chargers and head coach Jim Harbaugh moved on from offensive coordinator Greg Roman after a brutal loss to the New England Patriots in the wild-card round. Los Angeles finished 12th in yards per game (333.8), though they were middle of the pack in points scored (21.6).

McDaniel’s firing in Miami came as a bit of a surprise after ownership backed him only to relieve him of his duties shortly after.

Dolphins tight end Darren Waller even said he was “at the scene of the crime” when he was in the middle of his exit interview with McDaniel as owner Stephen Ross “kicked the door open” roughly 10 minutes into their discussion.

DOLPHINS’ DARREN WALLER SAYS HE WAS KICKED OUT OF EXIT MEETING WITH COACH MIKE MCDANIEL BEFORE FIRING

“He comes in and, like, joins the conversation,” Waller said. “We’re just all talking, reflecting on the year, and Stephen Ross was like, ‘Love to have you back next year.’ Then the conversation kind of just hits a lull.”

Since then, McDaniel has been flying around for interviews for both head coaching and offensive coordinator opportunities. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles both pursued McDaniel as their top offensive coordinator candidate, according to ESPN.

However, the report adds that “the lure of getting back to California and coaching Justin Herbert proved strongest” as McDaniel was being courted across the league.

The Dolphins made back-to-back playoff appearances in McDaniel’s first two seasons as head coach but were eliminated both times in the first round. The following season, they were eliminated after an unexpected loss to the New York Jets in the team’s season finale. 

McDaniel’s final season in Miami was tumultuous, highlighted by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s struggles and his eventual benching the final three games of the season.  

As one of his last major moves as head coach, McDaniel said this week that the Dolphins would hold a quarterback competition for the 2026 season, a decision Tagovailoa seemed to welcome this week when he confirmed he was open to a “fresh start” somewhere else.

There’s no quarterback competition for the Chargers. Herbert has been the star at the position since he was drafted sixth overall in 2020. He earned his second Pro Bowl nod this year after throwing for 3,727 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions behind one of the worst offensive lines in football after tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt were lost for the season.

Since taking over, Harbaugh quickly got the Chargers back in the playoffs, but they’re searching for that first playoff win under the veteran coach. They lost in the wild-card round last season to the Houston Texans as well.

Not only will McDaniel have an accurate, strong-throwing quarterback, but there are a few weapons to be optimistic about moving forward, including running backs Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal and receivers Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.

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DENVER — The first time chants of “Let’s go, La-kers” rang out in Ball Arena, Denver’s rowdy home crowd booed the unwelcome slogan into silence. Minutes later when the game ended, there weren’t enough home fans left to quiet the purple and gold faithful.

The Lakers overcame a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to notch one of their most significant wins of the season, taking down the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday. Luka Doncic recorded his fifth triple-double of the season with 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while LeBron James had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Despite losing center Deandre Ayton to a left eye injury in the second quarter, the Lakers still dominated the shorthanded Nuggets in the paint, outrebounding Denver 51-31. The Nuggets were playing without star center Nikola Jokic (knee) and backup center Jonas Valanciunas (calf).

The Lakers (26-16) slowly are returning to full health as guard Austin Reaves’ calf injury is “progressing well,” coach JJ Redick said before the game, and they hope he could play on the eight-game trip that will stretch until Feb. 3. Reaves is approaching the four-week point after aggravating his calf injury on Christmas Day.

For the first time since the injury, Reaves went on a trip with the team. He blended seamlessly into the bench group, wearing head-to-toe black next to the coaches.

On the other bench, Denver’s injured superstar was dressed in a forest green suit. Jokic, the Nuggets’ three-time most valuable player, has been sidelined because of a knee injury since Dec. 30. As significant as the Lakers’ injuries have been with the team having all 14 of its standard contract players available for only two games this season, the Nuggets’ problems could be even worse.

Three members of the Nuggets’ season-opening starting rotation were sidelined Tuesday. Starting guard Christian Braun has been out since injuring an ankle Nov. 12 and Cameron Johnson has missed 15 games because of a knee injury. Valanciunas, who has missed the last 11 games, sat next to Jokic.

Denver (29-15) still had no problem controlling the first half, finishing the second quarter on a 14-3 run to claim a 14-point lead. Jamal Murray drained a three-pointer from almost three-quarters court at the buzzer to punctuate a chaotic final 35 seconds that was preceded by Doncic’s 13th technical foul of the season and featured an 8-0 run for the Nuggets.

Murray, who finished with 28 points and 11 assists, is angling for his first All-Star appearance. If coaches select the 28-year-old guard as a reserve, it would be the first time in Jokic’s career that he had a teammate named to the All-Star team.

Doncic, who was named a starter for next month’s midseason showcase Monday, showed why he led the league in fan voting. He had nine points and four assists in the third quarter as the Lakers trimmed a 16-point deficit to two entering the fourth quarter. Doncic scored or assisted on 11 unanswered Lakers points.

After Doncic’s third-quarter domination, James tagged in and scored five consecutive points to end the quarter. He assisted on a basket by Drew Timme on the Lakers’ opening possession of the fourth quarter that tied the score 88-88.

The Lakers took the lead for good with a 16-0 run, holding the Nuggets scoreless for more than 6½ minutes. Marcus Smart scored 11 of his 15 points during the run, while Denver missed nine consecutive shots.

While Doncic will return to the All-Star stage next month at Intuit Dome, James was not named a starter for the first time in 22 years. He will have to wait for a vote from coaches or a special selection from NBA commissioner Adam Silver to earn his 22nd All-Star honor.

“Given the missed games early, wasn’t surprised,” Redick said, referring to James missing the first 14 games because of sciatica. “I believe he’ll be in the All-Star game.”

The wives of the Denver Broncos quarterbacks are certainly going through it.

Both are undoubtedly counting down the seconds until Sunday’s AFC title game against the New England Patriots, but they have found themselves in very different situations.

Bo Nix suffered a fractured ankle on the team’s final drive of their 33-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night, prompting Jarrett Stidham to get the nod for a potential trip to the Super Bowl.

Nix’s wife, Izzy, “snuck” a photo of Nix meeting with teammates and coaches following the Broncos’ celebration for a personal memento.

“I snuck this picture because I wanted to remember this moment forever,” Izzy wrote on her Instagram Stories. “The joy, followed by the heartbreak, followed by watching each teammate and coach come to this little corner and sit by Bo’s side. 

“God could have placed us anywhere, and I’m so grateful He chose Denver. He is the perfect Author of Bo’s story and we cannot wait to see what He has in store for this team — We’ll be on the front row, cheering the loudest!!!

Stidham’s wife, Kennedy, shared a post after the victory that even she could not have anticipated.

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“Absolute whirlwind of emotions after the game last night. Ultimately so proud of these boys & what they have accomplished this so far. do it for 10!!!!” Kennedy wrote, via the New York Post, referencing Nix’s jersey number.

The veteran quarterback in Stidham, who at one point was considered to be the heir to the Patriots’ starting job once Tom Brady departed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, received a huge boost of confidence from Broncos head coach Sean Payton.

“It started with our evaluation in New Orleans of him,” Payton said when asked why he believed Stidham was ready for the challenge. “He was a target for us in the draft. That doesn’t really mean anything other than we liked this player coming out. I know how he was coached in New England. I know exactly how he was coached in New England. Then I know how [Patriots offensive coordinator Josh] McDaniels felt about him when he brought him from New England to Vegas. Then I know reports on how he played, and then we saw him play real time.

“But ultimately, to answer your question, it’s our three years here. In our three years, watching him day-in and day-out that you guys don’t have access to. He will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”

Stidham has 1,422 passing yards and eight touchdown passes in 20 regular-season games.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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