Jim Harbaugh Confirms Mike McDaniel’s Job Isn’t in Danger After Chargers’ 0-4 Start to the Season

Mike McDaniel's job as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator remains safe even after the disastrous 0-4 start.

Jim Harbaugh Confirms Mike McDaniel’s Job Isn’t in Danger After Chargers’ 0-4 Start to the Season

Mike McDaniel, #10 Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh inside the circle (Image via Sports Illustrated/X)

Four games in, and already the Mike McDaniel experiment looks like a failure. The Los Angeles Chargers are winless, and quarterback Justin Herbert is turning the ball over far too many times.

The 11-6 Chargers finished second in the AFC West behind the Denver Broncos last year. Herbert had 3700+ yards and 28 touchdowns. However, they suffered a brutal 16-3 defeat in the Wild Card round.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh replaced offensive coordinator Greg Roman with free agent Mike McDaniel. McDaniel made his name as a top-notch play caller in Miami. Under his tutelage, the Dolphins posted the best offense two straight years.

Harbaugh expected McDaniel to have a similar impact on the offense and help Herbert unlock his full potential. The Bolts are winless after four weeks into the 2026 campaign.

The offense ranks 29th in points per game (14.7), 21st in yards per game (308.7), 20th in passing yards (209.0), and 12th in rushing yards (113.0).

Justin Herbert has completed 59.7% of his attempted passes so far. He has thrown more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (4). For context, he had 3 interceptions in 17 games a couple of years earlier.

After Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks in Seattle, reporters asked whether Mike McDaniel’s position is in jeopardy.

“No, no, no… His job is not in jeopardy,” Jim Harbaugh said.

McDaniel first rose to prominence as the run game coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. Ahead of the 2022 season, the Dolphins appointed the 43-year-old as head coach.

Over the next two seasons, the Dolphins registered 20 wins and a couple of playoff appearances. Tua Tagovailoa established himself as a top quarterback. However, McDaniel’s downfall started when Tagovailoa suffered his first concussion in 2023, and Miami never recovered.

The downward trend continued in 2025. Toward the end of the campaign, McDaniel benched Tua and turned to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers.

Miami finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Not long after, the Dolphins fired McDaniel. McDaniel boasts a 35-33 record as head coach.

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The Chargers could go 0-6 before hitting Bye Week

The Seahawks held overwhelming odds over the Chargers despite coming off a defeat a week prior. Seattle suffered a shock defeat against the Washington Commanders.

Jim Harbaugh Confirms Mike McDaniel's Job Isn't in Danger After Chargers' 0-4 Start to the Season
#10 Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (Image via IMAGO)

Seattle showed up on Sunday, leaving the Chargers fighting for crumbs. The Seahawks defense forced two turnovers from Herbert and recorded 4 sacks. Ernest Jones IV produced the best numbers with 12 tackles, one sack, and one interception

On offense, quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 168 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Emanuel Wilson rushed for 81 yards and scored one touchdown. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 5 passes for 76 yards.

As for the Chargers, Herbert threw for 189 yards, one touchdown, and 2 interceptions. WR Tre Harris caught 3 passes for 60 yards. The defense gave up 30 points, recorded 30 tackles, and gave up 16 penalties.

Former Chargers offensive lineman Brieden Fehoko wrote a fiery message on Twitter.

Nobody connected bro everyone on different pages. Coaches be having no IQ and we just not a good team tbh. Man I’m to old for this [expletive].

Brieden Fehoko wrote on X

Fehoko played three seasons with the Chargers. He urged the Chargers organization to undergo massive changes.

Fire [general manager Joe] Hortiz. Fire McDaniel. Fire Harbaugh. Trade [Khalil] Mack. Trade Derwin [James]. Trade [Imarion] Hampton. This season is over. I told you 3 years ago.

Brieden Fehoko wrote on X

The Chargers play two more games before the bye in week seven. However, those two games are against divisional opponents—the 2-2 Broncos and the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers could realistically end up 0-6 before the bye—for the first time since 2000.

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