The Miami Dolphins announced Sunday night that they have agreed to a deal to make San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel their new head coach.
McDaniel, 38, will replace the fired Brian Flores, who was let go after back-to-back winning seasons.
McDaniel was selected over Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Last season was McDaniel’s first as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator. Despite not having an elite quarterback, the 49ers ranked seventh in total offense (375.7 yards per game). San Francisco was 13th in scoring offense at 25.1 points per game.
McDaniel earned rave reviews for the way he used Pro Bowl receiver Deebo Samuel, who had 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns and also rushed 59 times for 365 yards and eight scores this season.
Overall, McDaniel spent five seasons with San Francisco, serving as run game coordinator for the first four campaigns.
McDaniel has spent 14 seasons as an NFL assistant. He also has worked for the Houston Texans (2006-08), Washington (2011-13), Cleveland Browns (2014) and Atlanta Falcons (2015-16).
The multiracial McDaniel becomes the fourth current minority head coach in the NFL, joining Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ron Rivera of the Washington Commanders and Robert Saleh of the New York Jets.
Incidentally, Flores, who is Black, last week filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos.
Among other accusations, Flores alleged that Miami owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss in 2019 so the team could improve its draft position. Ross denied the charge.
Flores went 24-25 in three seasons as Miami’s coach. The Dolphins went 9-8 this season after a 10-6 mark in 2020.
