John Harbaugh is set to sign a 5-year, ~$100 million contract to become the New York Giants next head coach, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the NFL. On a per-year basis, that is $20 million a season, placing him next to Andy Reid amongst the league’s highest annual earners. This deal is settled, leaving one less option for the Atlanta Falcons. Another candidate may just be a better fit though.
Mike McDaniel Could be a Home Run Hire for the Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons front office was not playing games this offseason, firing head coach Raheem Morris shortly after the season ended. Morris had a strong end to the season winning four straight games to close the year. That being said, being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with a month of the season left in a division that was won with eight wins can’t be ignored. Along with Morris, general manager Terry Fontenot was let go leaving major front office holes to be filled. After early buzz, Falcons legend Matt Ryan was brought in as the new President of Football with Greg Beadles becoming President/CEO and Rich McKay moving to AMBSE CEO.
In pursuit of their 3rd head coach since 2020, the Falcons are doing their due diligence, interviewing nine candidates already with more expected. One of those candidates being Mike McDaniel. McDaniel’s stint with the Miami Dolphins was up and down. Two playoff appearances in four seasons highlighted his tenure, but with that came two early playoff losses followed by two seasons of underachieving in 2024 and 2025 leading to his firing.
McDaniel has a lot to hang his hat on though, back-to-back playoff appearances in his first two seasons, Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards under McDaniel and the Dolphins offense ranked first in yards in 2023 and sixth in 2022. After a rocky start in 2025, the Dolphins tightened some things up and finished the year respectfully, leaving doubt that McDaniel would be available in this year’s cycle. Nonetheless, here we are, and I love the fit in Atlanta.
Has History with Atlanta
McDaniel worked for the Falcons during the 2016 super bowl run as an offensive assistant under then offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. When Shanahan became the San Francisco 49ers head coach, McDaniel followed, becoming his offensive coordinator. As the 49ers built success, he got his shot as a head coach with the Dolphins. The Falcons front office has favoured former coaches due to the familiarity with the organization. Recent examples being Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich. Owner Arthur Blank stated the familiarity was a big factor in the hiring of both coaching positions.
McDaniel benefits greatly from this as the last real offensive success came with him in the building. McDaniel’s offensive success has traveled with him and the Falcons will notice that. The dots continue to connect with McDaniel when you look at their new President of Football. He quarterbacked the offense McDaniel was a part of in Atlanta. Ryan knows the offense McDaniel wants to run and he knows it can work because he perfected it alongside Kyle Shanahan in 2016.
Falcons Offensive Talent
From a team standpoint, McDaniel’s offense with these weapons can be deadly. Bijan Robinson will be a monster in any offense but he can be unleashed in unimaginable ways in a McDaniel offense. Under McDaniel we saw a dynamic rushing attack from the Dolphins. Career years from Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane led the charge. Mostert was a scoring machine in 2023 leading the league with 21 touchdowns earning his lone pro-bowl selection.
As for Achane, in a year of struggle with the Dolphins, he totaled over 1800 yards reaching his first pro-bowl. Achane is no Robinson though, after a first-team all-pro selection in 2025, a McDaniel led offense can finally open up Robinson in the redzone. That next to Drake London‘s contested catch ability and the emergence of Kyle Pitts can make the Falcons one of the most dangerous scoring attacks in football.
The Falcons offensive talent is well documented at this point, but the quarterback has to fit. Another reason McDaniel with the Falcons could be great is his development opportunities with Michael Penix Jr. Penix hasn’t gotten the normal run of things as a developmental quarterback because of injury. He could miss the start of 2026 with his most recent knee injury, but McDaniel is no stranger to his starting quarterback going down.
Tagovailoa has missed nearly a full season’s worth of games in totality with the Dolphins including a missed playoff game and a serious concussion post his excellent 2023 season cutting his 2024 season short. From a viewers perspective, Tagovailoa hasn’t been the same since his injury and the stats back it up. In 2022 after his concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals, his passer rating dropped dramatically.
The constant injuries to Tagovailoa played part in the team’s recent struggles which led to the firing of McDaniel. The facts are, Tagovailoa showed promise in year one, McDaniel comes in, Tagovailoa sees career highs and then injuries derail the team not only in the regular season but in the playoffs. Skylar Thompson made a start in one of the two playoff appearances the Dolphins had under McDaniel. Saying he played poorly is an under statement. 18 of 45 passing for 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions didn’t quite cut it in what was a winnable 34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills.Â
Scheming for Penix Jr.
Another plus for McDaniel is he’s dealt with scheming for a left handed quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. Playing the quarterback position left-handed is rare in the NFL and having serious experience and success with a lefty is something the Falcons should value during this process.
Tagovailoa under McDaniel was the highest graded passer in 2023 with a 90.2 and he ranked fourth in BTT% (Big Time Throw %). Penix thrived in college with his downfield passing game leading the NCAA in 20 plus yard throws, a high percentage of his throws outside the numbers resulting in just under 2400 yards and 23 BTT. In 2023, Tagovailoa finished third in EPA (Expected Points Added) on deep throws. If McDaniel can scheme to Penix’s strengths like he did with Tagovailoa, the Falcons quarterback search could be over.
The Penix hate is starting to get out of control. Yes, the injuries are concerning and he wasn’t playing game changing football, but part of that blame has to fall on former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. The offense with Penix under center was drastically different from the offense that Kirk Cousins ran in the back half of the season.
A league low in play-action passing with Penix was baffling given the strong running attack the Falcons had, and the rate at which the Falcons were tipping their plays was alarming. Under center equaled run and shotgun was a pass. That can’t happen especially when you’re running little to no play-action. Penix lived in the pistol too, which was designed to allow Robinson to see the running lanes better but limited an already limited play-action attack.
Developing an offense around Penix can truly give him the “franchise qb” test that the organization spent a top-10 draft selection on. This is all contingent on Penix getting healthy of course but he’s been through the process before and responded on the other side. If Penix can’t respond and become the quarterback he has the potential to be, the Falcons will likely have a shot at drafting his replacement in the 2027 NFL draft that is shaping up to be loaded with quarterbacks. McDaniel would likely have a big say in the next quarterback discussion. McDaniel can be the answer this team is looking for and finally bring the potential to light regardless of who’s under center.
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
