Two former Dolphins coaches to join forces on the Chargers, reports say
Two former Miami Dolphins coaches will team up on the West Coast.
Adam Gase will join the Los Angeles Chargers as an assistant focused on the passing game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.
This comes just weeks after ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel signed on to be the Chargers’ next offensive coordinator.
“There was a lot that I found very attractive,” McDaniel said during his introductory news conference for the Chargers. “You know, I was very fortunate to have some opportunities. But I think it started with coach Jim Harbaugh. Then to be a part of an organization that has a legacy, talking about Sid [Gillman] and ‘Air Coryell’ — that’s super attractive, too. Got a quarterback who I have always admired, and just a lot of young players. Great situation for me and my family to go to the next chapter, which we’re very excited about.”
Gase, who coached the Dolphins for three seasons (2016-2018), had been out of the NFL for the past five years. He compiled a 23-25 record in Miami then went to the New York Jets for two seasons and went 9-23.
Despite a rather lackluster coaching record, Gase still has the title of quarterback guru thanks to his time with the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears. In Denver, he coached a 37-year-old Peyton Manning to the Super Bowl in 2013, a year in which the future Hall of Famer threw a career-high 55 touchdowns and led the league’s best passing offense. The Broncos still ranked in the top five in several categories the following year including total offense, passing offense and points scored.
McDaniel, on the other hand, comes to Los Angeles after a four-year stint as the head coach (2022-25). An offensive-minded leader who even garnered the name “McGenius,” McDaniel engineered a high-powered unit that ranked in the top 10 in several categories including total yards, passing yards and touchdowns through the air during his first two years as head coach. The Dolphins subsequently went 20-14 during that span and two playoff appearances, both of which ended in a loss.
Then the injuries hit.
A year removed from his first 17-game season and quarterbacking the No. 1 offense in football, Tua Tagovailoa was limited to 11 games in 2024. The offense, in turn, struggled mightily. By the end of the season, McDaniel’s unit had fallen to 18th in total offense, 22nd in points and 19th in giveaways.
That, however, was when the cracks of the foundation began to show as discipline — or more accurately, lack thereof — appeared to be an issue, according to many to players.
“It starts with me ultimately because I’m accountable for all things on the field, specifically during the season, and I’m not going to waver,” McDaniel said at the end of season press conference in early 2025.
Added McDaniel: “I can fine people till they’re blue in the face. I can take their money, I can yell at them, but until they understand that part of the reason that we’re in the position is controllable, and we have to with absolute certainty and zero tolerance for anything else, we have to clean the controllables up, and we can have a chance to have success together.”
As Tagovailoa’s play began to decline throughout the 2025 season, the offense suffered further. McDaniel eventually handed the offense to rookie Quinn Ewers, a decision that produced marginally better results. Unlike his first two years, McDaniel’s final seasons in Miami ended with back-to-back sub-.500 records and no playoff appearances.
The firing of McDaniel in January was part of the Dolphins’ scorched-earth approach as they attempted to pair a new head coach and general manager, something that hadn’t been done in years. McDaniel, meanwhile, instantly became one of the hottest offensive coordinator minds on the market, eventually choosing to sign with the Chargers.
In Los Angeles, the Chargers have the makings of the next great offense with the trifecta of coach Jim Harbaugh, McDaniel and Gase at the helm. They have the quarterback in Justin Herbert. They have the running backs in Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal, the latter of whom gashed the Dolphins for 124 yards in Week 6. And they have two Pro Bowl tackles in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.
With Gase now in the building, expect the passing offense that ranked 18th in yardage despite a respectable quartet of pass-catchers including Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen and Oronde Gadsden II to dramatically improve.
This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 2:57 PM.
