Mike McDaniel is pretty popular these days.
The former Miami Dolphins head coach is getting interviews left and right for several head coaching vacancies this offseason, with the most notable teams reaching out to him including the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, and Baltimore Ravens.
Of course, the Detroit Lions would've been foolish not to reach out to McDaniel for an interview in relation to their open offensive coordinator role. While not as illustrious as being the head of the entire snake, the Lions might have the most attractive roster to an offensive minded coach like that of McDaniel.
That's exactly why Lions fans shouldn't be too concerned about McDaniel's popularity in this cycle. While there's still a slim chance of actually signing him to a deal to become the team's next OC, it's not like it'd be a bad role to be in if you're McDaniel and looking to prove that you are still one of the more elite minds in the NFL.
That alone makes the job one of the most attractive out of the bunch, and why fans should feel confident in the Lions' ability to make it an offer that's very difficult to refuse.
Lions' open OC role more attractive than several open HC roles this offseason
Let's just take a look at some of the team's that McDaniel has been asked to interview with for their head coaching jobs.
The Browns have no clear cut answer about who will be their QB1 headed into 2026: will it be Shedeur Sanders, who doesn't seem to be good enough to become a starting quarterback in this league anytime soon, or Deshaun Watson, who hasn't played a snap of live football since 2024? Dillon Gabriel also exists.
The Titans could be attractive, with Cam Ward appearing to be just as good as many thought he'd be headed into the 2025 NFL Draft. He just needs a lot of help - like, a lot, a alot - in his wide receiving room and with a revitalized run game. He could be a fun quarterback to coach if you're McDaniel. They were the third-lowest scoring team in the NFL in 2025, though - in second
The Falcons just reek of dysfunction. Again, this is a team with no clear answer at QB1 headed into 2026, but their options are a bit slimmer than that of the Browns. Michael Penix Jr. is probably who they'd like to see thrive next season over veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. They have the defense to back up an improved offense. But, can McDaniel fix what ails them?
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And then, you have the Ravens. Lamar Jackson is an incredibly gifted quarterback who was just dealt a terrible hand with injuries in 2025, in addition to the team overall dealing with wear and tear that bogged everything else down.
It was time for a change at head coach, but you have to wonder if Baltimore is ready to make such a huge swing from a veteran like John Harbaugh to a much-younger coach in McDaniel to help keep Jackson happy.
The Lions have to fix their interior offensive line.
That's it. That's genuinely the one flaw with the Lions' offense you could nitpick and find that held their offense back in 2025. And, "held back" is quite a stretch when considering they were still amongst the top-five scoring teams in the league, and seventh overall in offensive DVOA.
It'd be a home run hire not just for the Lions, but for McDaniel. He could immediately make his mark as an offensive mind to clamor for once again with this Lions offense in tow, as long as the team addresses their holes at center and left tackle. If I was him, I'd be looking seriously at this "demotion" as a means of a launching myself back into the stratosphere amongst coaches in the league.